WOBURN, Mass. — A Woburn police officer has been placed on leave amid an investigation into his alleged involvement in the deadly 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, law enforcement officials announced Thursday.
Officer John Donnelly was immediately placed on paid administrative leave after Mayor Scott Galvin and Woburn Police Chief Robert F. Rufo Jr. learned that he had “participated in and was active in the planning” of the rally, which included white nationalists, neo-Nazi groups, and members of the Ku Klux Klan, city officials said in a news release.
Rufo has since called for an internal affairs investigation into the alleged inappropriate conduct exhibited by Donnelly, who was said to be a reserve officer at the time of the rally.
In a statement, Galvin said, “The Charlottesville rally is a dark moment in our history, and deeply disturbing. The City of Woburn is taking these allegations seriously by investigating the incident thoroughly and I will move to terminate Officer Donnelly if the investigation concludes that the allegations are accurate.”
Rufo added, “What was said and done in Charlottesville is in direct opposition to the core values of the Woburn Police Department, to serve all members of our community equally and treat them with dignity and respect. Should this allegation be sustained, the Woburn Police Department will ask Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission to decertify Officer Donnelly, ensuring he may no longer serve in law enforcement in Massachusetts.”
Participants in the rally carried weapons and chanted racist and anti-Semitic slogans. A woman died and many others were hurt when a car drove into a group of counter-protesters.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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