Global Courant
A Los Angeles police officer sued the chief after she claimed she was denied promotions because of her gun-heavy social media feed recently posted photos of herself with a semi-automatic firearm at her wedding.
Officer Toni McBride, a trained marksman who earned “Top Shot” at the LAPD police academy, showed off her JW3 TTI MPX Taran Tactical 9mm next to her husband and wedding party in photos posted online Thursday.
The photos come just two days after McBride filed an amended complaint in her lawsuit against Chief Michel Moore and the LAPD alleging that the top cop personally blocked promotions for McBride because she would not remove videos and photos of her at shooting competitions and shooting ranges. .
McBride claims she has been targeted for speaking out to her 123,000 Instagram followers on an issue of public interest: the safe possession and use of firearms. She also said she is targeted because of her gender, with male officers routinely posting similar content.
The city decided to dismiss the complaint earlier this month.
“Plaintiff did not, in fact, quote a post she ever made that she believes actually constitutes a statement on a matter of ‘public concern,’” city attorney Keimer Raymond wrote in court filings. “If the Court were to accept Plaintiff’s contention that any statement regarding ‘gender’ and ‘guns’ is a speech on an issue of ‘public concern,’ then, for example, photographs of LAPD officers in bathing suits holding guns would make statements are of ‘public concern.’”
McBride first made headlines when she shot and killed 38-year-old Daniel Hernandez, who came at her with a box cutter in April 2020. weapon, according to body camera footage. She shot Hernandez six times.
She was eventually cleared of any wrongdoing in the shooting, though the Los Angeles Police Department found she violated department policy in the last two shots she fired, when Hernandez rolled on the ground.
McBride is the daughter of Jamie McBride, the outspoken vice president of the Los Angeles Police Protective League. He was involved in six police shootings, none fatal, in his first 11 years on the job.
‘Topshot’ LAPD officer posts wedding photos with semiautomatic weapon amid lawsuit against chief
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