Seneca Police Chief John Covington declined to give a reason for firing Mark Tiller, calling it a “personnel matter” in a short statement. He said Tiller would remain on the department’s payroll until Friday.
The family of 19-year-old ZacharyHammond said the family never understood how Tiller was able to keep his job.
“With each passing day the Hammonds never lost hope that Lt. Tiller would in the future never again have the highest honor of serving the public as a police officer, wear the uniform and carry a weapon. It appears that today is such a day,” the family said in a statement released through their attorney Eric Bland.
A state prosecutor refused to charge Tiller in the July 2015 shooting of Hammond as the teen tried to drive away from a drug sting in a fast-food restaurant parking lot in Seneca. But federal authorities are still investigating the shooting.
Tiller said he thought his life was threatened because Hammond was about to run him over. But video from his patrol car showed him move toward Hammond’s car, grabbing the front fender of the vehicle and only firing after it moved past.
