Long Beach police officer standing over blood with his baton has been ‘relieved’ from department

The Long Beach police officer responsible for posting photos on his social media, including one showing him standing over blood with his baton, this week amid days of protests held in the city to remember George Floyd has been “relieved from employment,” the department announced Friday night.

“Our organization is dedicated to our community and we must build upon the relationships we have while continuing to develop and foster new relationships,” Police Chief Robert Luna said in a statement. “We hold our employees to the highest standards and will not ignore behavior that erodes public trust.”

The news comes a day after the department became aware of “a social media post an officer had on his Facebook page” that included “a baton and blood on the ground,” according to an email sent Thursday by City Manager Tom Modica.

The department launched an internal investigation and the officer, who was not identified in the document, was removed from patrol duties pending the investigation, according to the letter.

The officer was identified by BuzzFeed News and in a public social media post by Councilwoman Jeannine Pearce as Jacob Delgado. Pearce posted an image from Delgado’s LinkedIn page that shows he has been a member of the Long Beach Police Department for about two years and previously served in the U.S. Marine Corps.

Another photo, obtained by BuzzFeed News, shows Delgado sharing on his Instagram account a picture of him sitting in what appears to be a police car with two other officers flashing the shaka sign. “Back up, on the way,” he wrote on the image.

Delgado’s sibling, according to BuzzFeed News, also shared the photo of his brother standing over blood on his personal Instagram account, writing “Bro getting his.”

Delgado and his sibling have since deleted their social media accounts.