WEBSTER, MASS. (WHDH) - Town officials and public safety agencies showed their support for Webster Police Chief Michael Shaw, who faced criticism after laying on the ground with demonstrators protesting the death of George Floyd on Saturday.
Deputy Police Chief Tobby Wheeler says the department received some “extreme” comments regarding Shaw’s action.
Wheeler, Police Lt. Gordon Wentworth, Jr., the Massachusetts Coalition of Police, members of the town’s Office of the Board of Selectmen and Town Administrator, Webster Fire Chief Brian Hickey, Webster EMS Chief Gary Milliard, Jr., and the South Worcester County Communications Center all wrote letters in support of what Shaw did.
Shaw also wrote a letter, saying that his goal is to unify the community.
“I think together, we can make the difference we all seem to be yearning for,” he wrote. “I think the key is that we listen to each other, don’t judge each other so harshly, and learn from each other — that is what I did at the protest.”
Wheeler called Shaw a progressive police officer.
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