UPDATE: Cobb County Police Chief Mike Register went on live TV to announce the termination of Lt. Greg Abbott, the white police officer who told a woman during a traffic stop that “we only shoot black people.” But while he was still on television, Abbott cobbled up and emailed his resignation letter and emailed it to the county.
The letter of resignation was likely an attempt to prevent the blemish of termination from hitting his personnel file, but that letter might not stop the police department from firing him.
Chief Register said, “I have known Lt. Abbott for years and perceived him as honorable, but he’s made a mistake. I don’t know what is in his heart, but I know what came out of his mouth. We recommend that he be terminated and we are moving forward on that.”
“But you’re not black,” he says. “Remember, we only shoot black people. Yeah. We only kill black people, right? All the videos you’ve seen, have you seen the black people get killed?”
This is not a recent event. The date stamp on the video is July 10, 2016 — just a few days after Minnesota police shot and killed Philando Castile. Abbott is a 28-year veteran of the force. Register has been chief only since June of this year.
