In Florida, a sheriff's deputy was fired after telling an inmate that he looked like George Floyd, then asking him to mimic Floyd's last words, "I can't breathe."
Deputy First Class Rodney Payne was fired on Aug. 26 after using Floyd's death as a joke in July. Payne was working at the Lee County Core Facility Community Programs Unit. When he mocked Floyd, his supervisor stepped in immediately, telling him his actions were inappropriate, an internal affairs report said, Fort Myers News-Press reported.
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Payne also made gasping sounds while making the joke, which other inmates reported hearing, WINK-TV reported.
The incident was investigated by the Lee County Sheriff's Office, resulting in Payne being fired. He described himself as a "jokester," blaming the incident on his "shitty humor," WINK-TV reported.
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Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno shared his thoughts on the incident in a statement calling out Payne's actions.
"Members of the Lee County Sheriff's Office are held to the highest standards, and maintain a high degree of integrity and compassion," Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno said in a statement, "Unfortunately, this member failed to meet those standards, and as such, I withdrew his appointment."
Floyd was murdered last year by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin who held Floyd to the ground with his knee while Floyd struggled to breathe. In his final moments, he called for his mother, screaming, "I can't breathe."
Many have made light of Floyd's death in the last year, and Payne is added to the list of officers fired for it.
