A Port Canaveral, Fl., police sergeant was fired Friday after an internal investigation showed he offered other officers a target resembling Trayvon Martin to use for shooting practice, the Orlando Sentinel reports. 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. The other officers, who were on duty, refused.
On YouTube, King said he did not intend the Trayvon target to be used for shooting, rather “to use a bad situation as a learning tool.” Port Canaveral Interim Chief Executive Officer John Walsh apologized to Martin’s family 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. Martin, 17, was shot by Neighborhood Watch volunteer George Zimmerman Feb. 26, 2012 in Zimmerman’s gated town-house community.