Fallout over Charlie Kirk posts continues with fire chief under investigation, council president resigning

The fallout over inappropriate comments about conservative icon Charlie Kirk’s assassination continues in Ohio.

“Just because you have a computer or a phone handy doesn’t mean you can say whatever you want,” Cleveland Attorney Danny Karon told WOIO-TV. “You’ve got a First Amendment right to say a lot of stuff, but it’s not limitless and there are certain restrictions on the First Amendment like obscenity, defamation, and fighting words.”

Elliot Forhan, a former state lawmaker who is vying for the Democratic nomination for attorney general, weighed in with his own disparaging posts, Fox News reported.

“F*** Charlie Kirk,” Forhan said in a Monday Facebook post.

“Charlie Kirk was a champion of tyranny, not democracy,” Forhan said in another, according to the Fox report. “We should not pretend otherwise.”

Republican Attorney General Dave Yost told Fox News Digital that with the comments, Forhan “proved himself to be a petulant and undisciplined child, ill-suited to public office.”

“No public servant should say that about any human being, much less somebody who was just assassinated,” Yost said.

In Cleveland, Fire Chief Anthony P. Luke, who became fire chief in 2022, is under investigation after posting a cartoon video “with a machine gun on a pedestal in front of a group of kneeling elephants,” Cleveland 19 reported. One of the elephants depicted said, “Bring out the next sacrifice.”

“We are aware of the social media post made by the Fire Chief,” Sarah Johnson, chief communications officer for the city of Cleveland. “The Mayor’s Office takes this matter seriously and is reviewing it. The views expressed in the post do not reflect the values of the City of Cleveland. We will provide an update as appropriate.”

In Toledo, “an alleged social media post … referencing the death of Charlie Kirk” by a Toledo Fire & Rescue Department member prompted an internal investigation, WTOL-TV reported. A Cleveland firefighter and an EMS employee are also under internal investigation for social media posts about Kirk, WJW-TV reported.

In Northeast Ohio, Munroe Falls City Council Vice President John Impellizzeri resigned after a social media post that, in part, said, “The world is a better place now that he’s gone.”

“I’m in physical hiding for fear for my life,” Impellizzeri told the Akron Beacon Journal. “The police department is getting death threats.”

However, a police department representative told the Beacon Journal the department has not received any threats and that he was not aware of any threats targeting the city.

In Cincinnati, local restaurant Lucius Q lost a contract with TQL Stadium after owner Aaron Sharpe reportedly said, “Good riddance! What a piece of s—,” WCPO-TV reported. The restaurant also cut ties with Sharpe, who was a minority partner.

“FC Cincinnati and TQL Stadium expect our vendors and partners to uphold the values of respect and tolerance,” the stadium said in a statement, per WLWT-TV. “…We have terminated our relationship with Lucius Q.”

Fairview Park City Council President Michael Kilbane resigned after posting on social media that Kirk wasn’t among the “good people” who died on Sept. 10.

“A lot of good people died today,” Kilbane posted. “Charlie Kirk wasn’t one of them.”

The post caused a groundswell of criticism.

“Due to the negative attention a comment that I made on a social media post has brought to the City, I am hereby resigning my position as City Council President, effective immediately,” Kilbane said in a statement, per WKYC-TV.

“I am sorry to the residents, my neighbors and to my colleagues for everything you’ve had to endure as a result of my comment,” Kilbane added. “I apologize profusely. I love this city, and it has been my very great honor to have been allowed to serve you all these years.”

In Hamilton County, Municipal Court Judge Ted Berry is facing calls to resign over comments, which included language such as “Rest in Hatred & Division,” that critics said celebrated Kirk’s death. He was also removed from an advisory post at the Joe Burrow Foundation.

“Government employees do possess First Amendment rights when they’re off the job,” Capital University law professor Dan Kobil told Spectrum News 1. “On the other hand, if a government employee is posting on the job as part of their duties, they have no protections.”