Pennsylvania fire chief resigns over inappropriate post on Trump assassination attempt

A fire chief in Prospect Park, Pennsylvania, resigned on Sunday night after he made an insensitive social media post about the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.

A gunman attempted to kill the former president during a rally on Saturday afternoon, which killed one attendee, and wounded three others including Trump. The shooter was also killed on the scene.

Prospect Park Fire Chief Jim Simmonds wrote "a little to the right next time please," in a now-deleted post on Facebook on Saturday, according to CBS News. The comment was a reference to the shooting.

Simmonds apologized for the comment, and for bringing the fire department in a negative light. He also stated that he has donated to a GoFundMe for the victims' family.

"I made a terrible mistake in posting an unprofessional post on Facebook," Simmonds wrote in the Citizens of Delco Facebook group on Monday. "I meant no harm to anyone and an attempted assassination of a former US President is no laughing matter ... I sincerely apologize for my hasty social media post that made light of a serious incident. I take full responsibility for the offensive post and acknowledge that this behavior is not acceptable."

Prospect Park Fire Company confirmed Simmonds' departure in a post on Monday, and said the post did not reflect the views of the fire company. The company's assistant fire chief has been tapped to fill in for Simmonds for the rest of his term.

"The Prospect Park Fire Company does not condone this type of behavior by our members or our leadership," the department said. "We are deeply saddened by Chief Simmonds' comments and agreed that it would be best if he stepped down in his role as Chief."

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.