NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- The NYPD fired an officer who sent a racist image mocking the murder the of George Floyd to his subordinates, according to a new report.
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Probationary Sgt. Yonathan Bonifacio, a 13-year veteran of the NYPD, sent the image to nine subordinates, including two Black officers, just three months after Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd.
The image depicted Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck while a cartoon ghost left the Black man’s body.
Floyd is drawn with a speech bubble reading “Holy s**t, I’m finally white” — referring to the color of the ghost — while Chauvin says “You’re welcome.”
Bonifacio was fired in December, according to NYPD administrative documents obtained by the New York Daily News.
“Respondent’s dissemination of the image at this time ... was akin to tossing a lit match at the base of a powder keg,” wrote an NYPD administrative judge in a 12-page ruling. “[His] actions ... demonstrated exceedingly poor judgment and a disrespect for human life that is reprehensible and incompatible with police work.”
Bonifacio pleaded guilty in October and testified on his own behalf in an attempt to reduce the punishment.
He claimed he himself was offended by the cartoon, but forgot to include a follow up message denouncing the hateful image.
Bonifacio was demoted to the rank of officer during the disciplinary process, but continued to police New Yorkers for 19 months after sharing the image.
“Respondent, who has associated himself with undeniably racist and insensitive material, has cast a shadow upon the perceived integrity of his work product and that of the agency he serves,” wrote the judge in his decision.
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