The second officer charged in the beating death of Kelly
Thomas in Fullerton last summer is no longer employed by the city, officials
announced Friday.
In a statement, Dan Hughes, acting chief of police,
declined to offer further details. It is unclear whether the officer resigned
or was fired.
Cpl. Jay Cicinelli, 40, who is charged with involuntary
manslaughter and excessive use of force, is the third officer to have lost his
job over the incident that has rocked the north Orange County city. A black and
white video of the beating shows Cicinelli smacking Thomas, a 37-year-old
mentally ill homeless man, in the face or head with the butt of his Taser.
Cicinelli later says: "We ran out of options so I
got the end of my Taser and I probably ... I just smashed his face to hell.
He's on something, dude.... Three of us couldn't even control him."
The other officer changed in the beating, Manuel Ramos, left the city’s employment
July 3. Ramos, 38, is charged with second-degree murder and involuntary
manslaughter.
Both Ramos and Cicinelli have pleaded not guilty.
A third officer, Joe Wolfe, who helped detain Thomas, was terminated by the
city July 16; no charges have been filed against Wolfe or three other officers
involved in the beating.
If convicted, Ramos faces a potential life sentence;
Cicinelli could get four years in prison. Orange County Dist. Atty. Tony
Rackauckas said he hasn't ruled out filing charges against additional officers.
Cicinelli had been on unpaid leave; the city had
reportedly initiated termination proceedings against him. The other three
officers are on paid administrative leave.