A few months ago, Zyaire (12) and Lamar Mitchell (9) died in a house fire in Flint, Michigan after two firefighters failed to sweep the premises for survivors, per CNN. The Flint Fire Department Chief Raymond Barton punished the two firefighters for lying about properly sweeping the scene.
The case bubbled back up into the media after Crystal Cooper, the mother of the two boys, held a press conference asking for answers and accountability from the fire department. Once Barton conducted a thorough examination of the incident, he found former firefighters Daniel Sniegocki and Michael Zlotek guilty of claiming they had checked every room in the house, and then later admitting they’d missed one. As a result, Barton decided the best course of action was to order the two get suspension without pay. Both eventually resigned.
Barton contends that following their discipline, he was in hot water with the union and Mayor Sheldon Neeley’s office. He alleges they tried to overturn his recommended punishment, per WNEM. He also claims the union president asked the mayor to replace him. As it so happens, Theron Wiggins was named Interim Fire Chief Thursday.
“I never disciplined [the firefighters] for missing the room - I disciplined them for submitting a false report,” Barton said to WNEM. “The only thing that I’ve ever done is follow [the mayor’s] directives. I ain’t no saint but I care about the city of Flint. I’ve sacrificed so much for this city, the relationships with my sons. I had...
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