Florida Police Officer Sgt. Ron King Fired for Bringing Targets Resembling Trayvon Martin to Gun Range … Officer Claims Target Was a ‘No-Shoot training Aid’

The Port Canaveral Police Department has fired  Sgt. Ron King because he allegedly brought targets resembling Trayvon Martin to a gun range and had asked two other officers and a civilian whether they wanted to shoot at the targets. The targets displayed a hooded sweatshirt with a target on the chest, Skittles in the pocket and iced tea in a hand. Sgt. Ron King, who had been with the Port Canaveral police force for two years, owns a company in which he offers firearm training and personal safety coaching and spent nearly 22 years with the Melbourne Police Department.  Port Authority interim CEO Jim Walsh stated, “Whether it was his stupidity or his hatred, (this is) not acceptable.” Hmm, so individuals get fired for stupidity? If that were the case 95% of politicians would be out of a job.

A Florida police officer fired for bringing targets resembling Trayvon Martin to a gun range apologized to the shooting victim’s family “for being used as a pawn in somebody’s political agenda” but said the targets are a valuable training tool.

Police Sgt. Ron King denied claims by Port Canaveral Interim Chief Executive Officer John Walsh that King was leading target practice with two other officers and a civilian earlier this month when he asked the group if they wanted to shoot at the targets.

The Port Canaveral Police Department fired King on Friday following an internal investigation, according to port officials.

Port Canaveral Sgt. Ron King defends himself and proclaims his innocence in the below video claiming that he referred to the targets as a “no shoot training aid”. King refuses to sit by and watch he and the Martin family be used for others political agendas. And there lies the rub. Who knows what was in the mind of  Sgt. Ron King, what he said, or what the complaining parties said, heard or later attested to. One thing is a certainty when it comes to the Trayvon Martin murder case where George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch volunteer, is charged with second degree murder in the teens death, it’s highly political and racially charged. Why would anyone even attempt to d something with a Trayvon Martin target whether it was being used for a good or less than honorable thing? Nothing good could come of it as the racial blood is in the water and individuals are just waiting to pounce on it. In today’s PC world and the media bias involved in this case, anyone would be crazy to use any likeness, reference or anything to do with Trayvon, Skittles or Hoodies is job suicide.

Sorry, I find it hard to believe that a police officer of 25 years would publically do something like use a Trayvon Martin poster silhouette to use as a shooting target. Did he have it, yes, King admits he did. However, the lack of judgment and understanding that this would get politically hijacked is on him. Who could not have predicted that this could have come to no good?

USA Today:

“Using real-life situations as a training scenario is not uncommon,” King said.

King apologized to Trayvon’s family and to any law enforcement professionals who may have been embarrassed by the publicity swirling around the incident. He accused an unnamed officer of inventing details of the incident to damage the credibility of the police department’s leadership.

“I remain a professional law enforcement officer and a professional firearms instructor,” said King, who can appeal his dismissal. “I refuse to sit by while others use the Martin family and myself as a way to further their own political and career agendas.”

Trayvon Martin’s family attorney released a statement saying, “It is absolutely reprehensible that a high-ranking member of the Port Canaveral Police, sworn to protect and serve Floridians, would use the image of a dead child as target practice.”