A Philadelphia Fire Department paramedic was forced to apologize following a social media post that angered many of the city's police officers.
An image posted on Instagram by Paramedic Marcell Salters shows two black men pointing guns at the head of a white police officer, according to WTXF-TV.
The post reads, "Our real enemy. Need 2 stop pointing guns at each other and at the ones that's legally killing innocents."
Marcell works out of Medic 23 in southwest Philadelphia, the same building that houses the police department's 19th District.
Police Union President John McNesby told the news station that the image is despicable and that it defames police.
"It's a brotherhood. We are out there doing the same work public safety and to do something like that is ridiculously stupid," McNesby said.
Following blowback from the post, Salters posted an apology on his Facebook page.
"That post was out of anger of what is going on around the world (Mike Brown, Eric Garner & etc.) & past experiences that I've had with police," the message read. "My intention was not to slander or hurt anyone or my brothers in blue. Again I am sorry."
Despite the apology the police union's head still believes he should be disciplined.
"You don't want to see anybody lose their jobs especially around the holidays. But if the charge of stupidity was in their handbook he'd probably get a life sentence," McNesby said.
It's not clear whether the post violated the fire department's social media policy and is currently under investigation by the mayor's office.
Mayor Michael A. Nutter has since released the following statement:
“In the strongest possible terms, I condemn the behavior of a paramedic in the Philadelphia Fire Department who used social media to post a reprehensible message and photo that targeted police officers particularly at a time of emotional volatility and citizen protests in our nation in the wake of tragedies in Ferguson and New York City.
“We Philadelphians expect our public servants to uphold the highest standards of behavior as they conduct the city's business. City employees must always be mindful, whether on or off duty, that their behavior should not negatively reflect on our City or raise questions that may diminish citizen confidence because a city employee might be unable to carry out their duties as a result of his or her actions, expressions or behavior either directly or on social media.
“We celebrate the exercise of our First Amendment right to expression, but there are clear limits, and this posting went far beyond standards of decency. Inflammatory speech or behavior like this is simply irresponsible and could potentially incite others to inappropriate actions.
“When this matter came to our attention yesterday, we asked Fire Commissioner Derrick Sawyer to undertake a thorough investigation and invoke whatever discipline is warranted in this circumstance. Any decision regarding discipline will be made by the Fire Commissioner after the completion of this investigation.
“I'm asking that all of us be particularly mindful of our actions and expressions regarding matters of public safety and our first responders. We need to respect them all, and they must respect our citizens as well.”
