‘Kill them all.’ Sergeant suspended for protest video comment, Colorado chief says

A Colorado Springs police sergeant who wrote “kill them all” under a fake name on an online video of protesters will be suspended for a week without pay and reassigned, but he will not be fired, his chief says.

“While his statements were harmful and reprehensible, I cannot deprive the community of a good police officer and his services because of an isolated incident of an error in judgment,” wrote Chief Vince Niski of the Colorado Springs Police Department.

Sgt. Keith Wrede, posting under the name “Steven Eric,” wrote “kill them all” and “kill ‘em all” on a KRDO livestream of a Black Lives Matter protest blocking traffic on June 30 in Colorado Springs, Niski reported.

On July 3, the department received a tip that Wrede had posted the comments and began an investigation, Niski wrote in a letter to the community.

“It was determined that the comments were made off-duty out of frustration and there was no indication of any physical action or intent to cause harm,” Niski wrote.

In a report included in Niski’s letter, Wrede says in a transcript that he was “going crazy” watching the livestream and thought he had posted under a secure fake account.

But Wrede acknowledged the remarks were not appropriate and said they did not reflect his 20 years with the department, the transcript says.

Niski added that he was not downplaying Wrede’s comments, calling them “unacceptable” and below the department’s standards. He apologized on behalf of the department.

Martin Lewis, a co-founder of the activist organization Colorado Springs Oversight, called firing Wrede “the only right thing to do,” The Colorado Springs Gazette reported.

“I feel not only are they letting the community down but they are letting the police officers down,” Lewis said, according to the publication. “This was a chance for CSPD to make a statement that they are not going to accept that type of culture.”

“Their job is to serve and protect us, not to lash out on us because they don’t like what we’re doing,” Jasmine Marchman of Colorado Springs Oversight, told KCNC.

Wrede’s 40-hour suspension will cost him about $2,000 in lost wages, Niski said.

This story was originally published August 12, 2020 at 3:45 PM with the headline "‘Kill them all.’ Sergeant suspended for protest video comment, Colorado chief says."