A Port Canaveral police sergeant was fired Friday after an internal investigation showed he offered other officers a target resembling Trayvon Martin to use for shooting practice.
Sgt. Ron King, a firearms instructor and two-year veteran of the force, offered the target of a hoodie-wearing figure at the range near Cocoa during the first week of April, Rosalind Harvey, a port spokeswoman, said Saturday.
The other officers, who were on duty, refused, officials said.
In a YouTube video posted late Saturday, King said he did not intend for the Trayvon target to be used for shooting. It was designed "to use a bad situation as a learning tool," he said.
Port Canaveral Interim Chief Executive Officer John Walsh apologized publicly to Trayvon's family Saturday and called King's behavior unacceptable, insensitive and unprofessional.
"Whether his [King's] act is one of hatred or stupidity, neither one is tolerable," Walsh said.
The 17-year-old South Florida youth was shot by Neighborhood Watch volunteer George Zimmerman on Feb. 26, 2012 in Zimmerman's gated Sanford town-house community.
Zimmerman wasn't arrested until an international outcry resulted in the appointment of a special prosecutor and a second-degree murder charge against Zimmerman. He awaits trial.
Benjamin Crump, an attorney representing Trayvon's parents, issued a statement condemning the target.
"Using a dead child's image as target practice is reprehensible," Crump said.
The Trayvon target, which features a bull's eye over his heart, a package of Skittles in his pocket and a beverage can in his right hand, is sold online.
The night he was killed, Trayvon was on the way back to a relative's home from a convenience store, where he had bought the candy and a nonalcoholic drink. He wore a hoodie, inspiring protesters to also wear hoodies as they demanded Zimmerman's arrest.
King has a week to appeal his termination. In the video, he said another sergeant complained about the target and had a "political agenda" for doing so.
On his LinkedIn page, King describes himself as night-shift watch commander for the Port Canaveral Police Department and a firearms and personal-safety consultant.
Before joining the Port Canaveral force, King worked as a Melbourne police officer for nearly 22 years. He was a lieutenant when he left in November 2006, according to LinkedIn.
He worked as a manufacturer's representative for Point Blank Solutions, a supplier of bulletproof vests, from December 2006 until May 2010, his profile states.
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