Mark McNamara, the San Jose, California, police officer who was exposed for sending racist text messages, has officially lost his certification, according to a report.
It comes after McNamara resigned from the department earlier this month following the revelation that he sent the messages to another employee, referencing the March 2022 shooting involving K’aun Green.
Green, a community college football player, was inside a Mexican restaurant with his friends when a man threatened them. The situation escalated when another individual with the man pulled out a gun, resulting in a physical scuffle. Green’s attorney said to protect himself, he “wrestled the gun away” and walked out of the establishment.
Upon exiting, he was shot by McNamara multiple times. Following the incident, Green spoke about the student-athlete calling him the N-word and stating, “I hate Black people,” among other messages.
Chief Anthony Mata publicly denounced McNamara’s actions several times and agreed that McNamara should be decertified. He emphasized his commitment to “anti-racism culture” in the department.
“The department is committed to ensuring Mr. McNamara cannot serve as a police officer elsewhere and will work with POST to ensure that decertification happens as soon as possible,” he wrote earlier this month in a statement obtained by KGO-TV. “We are also working collaboratively with the District Attorney’s office to review cases that Mr. McNamara was involved in, including the March 2022 officer-involved shooting. Upon completion of our internal investigation, we will review any affected cases as well.”
The San Francisco Chronicle reported McNamara’s certification status has been listed as temporarily suspended since Nov. 15, noting that the basis is “resigned/retired pending investigation – demonstrating bias.”
The police department in Antioch, a city about 70 miles from San Jose, is facing similar backlash after a group of residents filed a federal lawsuit against the agency for sending racist text messages, including some that compared Black people to gorillas.
