First responders and public employees in several cities have become the subject of investigations or have been placed on leave over social media posts reacting to the .
Kirk, a close ally of President Donald Trump, was shot and killed on Sept. 10 at a Utah Valley University event. Authorities say a single shot was fired from a rooftop before the gunman escaped.
The suspect in Kirk鈥檚 death on Sept. 12.
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Nashville Fire Department
In Nashville, Tenn., reported the fire department put an employee on paid administrative leave after a post circulating online appeared to reference Kirk鈥檚 death.
The department said it opened an internal fact-finding review and would not comment further while it鈥檚 underway.
Prince George鈥檚 County Police Department
Prince George鈥檚 County (Md.) Police Department confirmed an internal investigation into an officer鈥檚 social media post that read, 鈥淲hen you鈥檙e spewing hate, hate will eventually rear its head and find you鈥�.鈥�
reported the department said the post may violate general orders governing employee conduct on social media. There was no immediate indication that the officer鈥檚 duty status had changed.
New Orleans Fire Department
In New Orleans, reported that the fire department said it is investigating after an employee appeared to mock Kirk鈥檚 killing in a social media comment.
The : 鈥淭hat bullet has a right to be there because it鈥檚 a gift from God.鈥�
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Merle called the remark 鈥渦nacceptable and disturbing,鈥� adding that invoking God in the message 鈥渨as even more disturbing.鈥�
Louisiana Rep. Clay Higgins vowed to use congressional authority and pressure on tech platforms to seek lifetime bans for users who mocked Charlie Kirk鈥檚 killing. In an X post, he praised Kirk and said he鈥檇 target posts that 鈥渂elittled鈥� the assassination.
I鈥檓 going to use Congressional authority and every influence with big tech platforms to mandate immediate ban for life of every post or commenter that belittled the assassination of Charlie Kirk. If they ran their mouth with their smartass hatred celebrating the heinous murder of鈥�
— Rep. Clay Higgins (@RepClayHiggins)
Toledo Fire & Rescue
The Toledo (Ohio) Fire & Rescue is investigating a member over an alleged social media post about Kirk鈥檚 death, reported.
The department did not release details about the post, but comments on its recent social media pages claim a lieutenant wrote it and alleged Kirk was killed because of his political beliefs and affiliations.
A all fire stations in Toledo were placed on lockdown on Sept. 12 as a precaution following online backlash to the comment. While no direct threats were made to personnel, leadership decided to restrict access to stations to keep members safe.
Maui Police Department
A Maui police officer has been placed on administrative duties and is under internal investigation after allegedly celebrating the assassination of Kirk on social media, the .
The officer is accused of posting, 鈥淐harlie Kirk鈥檚 demise takes us one step closer to healing this country鈥� in the aftermath of Kirk鈥檚 fatal shooting.
鈥淲e take this matter extremely seriously,鈥� Maui Police Chief John Pelletier said. 鈥淲e hold our employees to the highest standards of the policing profession, and when actions fall short of those standards, they are addressed immediately.鈥�
What do you think about calling out first responders for their social media posts? Could it deepen division, increase scrutiny or even risk inciting violence against them?
