Mississippi city fires police officer charged in killing
Published 12:29 pm Thursday, May 23, 2019
(AP) — A Mississippi city has fired a police officer charged in the killing of a woman with whom he was romantically involved.
An Oxford Police Department spokesman confirmed Thursday to the Oxford Eagle that city aldermen met in closed session Tuesday night and fired Mathew Kinne (KIHN’-ee).
Kinne, 38, is charged with murder in the shooting death of Dominique Clayton, 32, of Oxford. Her 8-year-old son found her body when he returned home Sunday. The mother of four had been shot in the back of her head.
Kinne is white and Clayton was black. Her relatives say they were in a romantic relationship.
Kinne had worked for the Oxford Police Department since 2015. He remains jailed in a neighboring county.
Clayton’s mother, Bessie Clayton, expressed outrage Wednesday after a prosecutor told a judge that prosecutors and defense lawyers might agree next week on “reasonable” bail for Kinne.
“There is no justice for black people,” Bessie Clayton said.
Oxford’s interim police chief, Jeff McCutchen, said he opposes bail and Kinne “needs to be in jail.”
“There is NO ‘reasonable’ bond, which can be set in this case,” McCutchen said in a statement. “Matthew Kinne should not be released. He is a danger to our community and should not be released. We share in the frustrations of the community, stand with, and support the Clayton Family. This is about justice for Dominique Clayton.”