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Seattle police officer fired after hurling racist, sexist slurs at Chinese-American neighbour

  • Burton Hill was involved in an altercation with Zhen Jin over the disposal of dog bones at a condominium complex where they lived

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A Seattle police officer was sacked for hurling racist and sexist slurs at his Chinese-American neighbour in 2022. Photo: AP

A Seattle police officer was fired for calling his Chinese-American neighbour racist and sexist slurs while off duty in 2022, according to a news report.

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Officer Burton Hill was fired in May, The Seattle Times reported.

The termination stemmed from an altercation with his neighbour, Zhen Jin, over the disposal of dog bones at the condominium complex where they lived in suburban Seattle.

The Seattle Office of Police Accountability had recommended a range of disciplinary actions, from a 30-day suspension to termination of employment. Hill was fired by then-police chief Adrian Diaz on May 2, police spokesperson Eric Muñoz said.

Attempts by Associated Press to reach Hill for comment weren’t immediately successful.

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The former police chief himself was removed from his post in late May by Mayor Bruce Harrell after lawsuits alleging Diaz’s police force was unwelcoming and discriminatory towards women and people of colour. Diaz has vehemently denied the allegations.

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