Police officer who mocked suicide of gay teenager Nigel Shelby has been rehired
He wrote on Facebook: “Liberty, Guns, Bible, Trump, BBQ, That’s my kind of LGBTQ movement.”
By Steve Brown
Words: Steve Brown
A police officer who stepped down after mocking the suicide of gay teenager Nigel Shelby has been rehired.
Nigel Shelby was a ninth-grade schoolboy in Huntsville, Alabama, and on April 19, the young boy took his own life after suffering homophobic abuse in his school.
Following his death, Alabama police officer Jeff Graves wrote on Facebook: “Liberty, Guns, Bible, Trump, BBQ, That’s my kind of LGBTQ movement.”
After he was called out for his outrageous, unsensitive, homophobic comments, Graves stepped down.
But now, WAFF reports he has been rehired just two months after and the reasoning is ‘everyone deserves a second chance’.
Owens Cross Roads Police Chief Jason Dobbins said Graves showed remorse over the situation and said he feels comfortable that Graves will do his job without bias.’
Dobbins said: “Officer Graves may not have the same views as everyone else but that doesn’t prevent him from doing his job as an officer.
“He’s going to make a great addition to our department.”