Last year, former San Jose police officer Mark McNamara opened fire on a Black college football player described as a “hero” after the latter wrestled a gun away from another individual during an incident at a restaurant. But in the wake of the incident, it was established McNamara sent racist text messages including calling the Black man the N-word and saying, “I hate black people.”
Per VICE News, San Jose Police Chief Anthony Mata in a news release on Friday announced McNamara has since resigned. Mata stated that the text messages in question were discovered “through an unrelated Criminal Investigation” into one of the department’s officers. Mata also stated that Internal Affairs Investigators “discovered that the officer had sent disgusting text messages that demonstrated racial bias.”
The press release also stated that McNamara, who is White, sent some of the racist text messages to a current employee who “engaged in other concerning dialogue with the former officer.” That employee has since been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal investigation.
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McNamara’s resignation comes after he opened fire on K’aun Green in March last year after the Black man wrestled a ghost gun away from another man involved in an altercation at the La Victoria Taqueria restaurant, per VICE News. Green was hit four times, but police said they suspected it was an active shooter situation and they ordered the Black man to drop the gun. But Green’s lawyers said there wasn’t ample time for him to realize officers had responded to the scene or hear their orders at the time of the incident.
Witnesses described Green as a “hero” in the wake of the incident. The Black man also later sued the city, but the case is pending trial.
Days after the incident, McNamara in text messages that he sent to a colleague seemingly called Green the N-word. “N—- wanted to carry a gun in the Wild West,” he texted. “Not on my watch haha.”
McNamara in June also spoke about the federal civil rights lawsuit that Green filed. In that text, the former officer is said to have called the plaintiff’s lawyers “parasites.” The former officer also texted about a conversation he had with the lawyer representing the city.
“I’m like dude, I don’t give a shit about this case. I’m white, he’s black, he’s gonna win. AND I DONT CARE. It’s like b*tch whatever they decide has no bearing on me what so ever. It’s basically kangaroo court.”
McNamara once again called Green the N-word when he was touching on Green’s lawyer telling him that he could be found guilty of using excessive force, VICE News reported.
“I’m like, hmmm yeah then shat (sic) happens?? Nothing?? Cool. Cuz I’m pretty sure the district attorney would have charged me if I used excessive force, but she didn’t, because I didn’t use excessive force. Think I give a f*ck what y’all n— think?!???? I’ll shoot you too!!!!! AHHHHHH!!!!!!,” he texted.
McNamara also texted that there were “like 65 African lookin mother f**kers there too” when the hearing was being held. “All just mean mugging me and taking notes. They should all be bowing down to me and brining (sic) me gifts since I saved a fellow n—- by making him rich as fuck. Otherwise he woulda lived a life of poverty and crime,” he added.
The colleague McNamara sent the texts to responded by asking, “Why don’t black people have any sense in their head?” In another text in July, McNamara called Green the N-word again. “This n—- is asking for 10 million dollars,” he texted, adding that the Black man would “probably blow it all in like a year.” “I hate black people,” he continued in a subsequent text.
“I never thought somebody could just have that much hatred in their heart to where they would want to kill me just because of what I look like,” Green said during a press conference on Sunday.
Green also said he has issues with his stomach and suffers from depression as a result of the incident. “I fight through a lot of pain,” he revealed.
Adante Pointer, who is Green’s lawyer, said the text messages are a manifestation of a culture of racism thriving in the San Jose police department. “They allowed him to resign before they fired him. He should have been terminated on the spot when they first saw these text messages,” Pointer said.
The attorney also said criminal charges should be brought against McNamara, adding that he should never be allowed to work as a law enforcement officer again. But Mata said it is not expected that McNamara would face criminal charges.
