Kurtis Cook, Texas Volunteer Firefighter, Fired After Writing That Dylann Roof 'Needs To Be Praised' (UPDATED)

Texas Firefighter: Dylann Roof 'Needs To Be Praised'

UPDATE, June 23: Cook now says he wasn't writing about Roof, and his comments were taken out of context. Read the full story here.

Original story:

A Texas firefighter has lost his volunteer position after reportedly writing on Facebook that alleged Charleston gunman Dylann Roof “needs to be praised for the good deed he has done.”

Kurtis Cook, who had belonged to the Mabank Fire Department, wrote the comments on the Facebook page of a South Carolina newspaper on Thursday, according to local NBC station KETK, which has a screengrab of the offending post.

Cook's post saying Roof "needs to be praised for the good deed" led to an outcry on social media. By Friday morning, the department -- located about an hour southeast of Dallas -- wrote on Facebook that it had launched an investigation. Within an hour, the department wrote a followup post saying Cook had been terminated and banned from all department property.

"The Mabank Fire Department does not condone nor promote these type of actions or thoughts," the post read. "On behalf of all members, the Mabank Fire Department offers our deepest apologies to all that were offended by his actions and comments."

As of 1123 hrs, after an investigation in the allegations being made of Firefighter Kurtis Cook, the Mabank Fire...

Posted by Mabank Fire Department on Friday, June 19, 2015

KYTX, the CBS station, said Cook did not deny making the post when confronted by fire department brass.

(h/t Raw Story)

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