SANFORD, Fla. — Officials in Sanford, Fla., on Monday refused to accept the resignation of embattled police chief Bill Lee Jr. after his handling of the Trayvon Martin shooting case came under fire.
Lee, who temporarily stepped down from his post last month amid the furor surrounding Martin’s death, offered his permanent resignation Monday.
But the Sanford city commission, in a 3-2 vote, rejected Lee’s resignation agreement with the city.
Lee will remain on temporary leave, and Capt. Darren Scott will continue to serve as acting chief, FOX News Channel reported.
Lee faced stiff criticism over the decision not to immediately arrest George Zimmerman, the volunteer neighborhood watchman who says he shot Martin, an unarmed 17-year-old African-American, in self-defense on Feb. 26.
But city commissioners in the Orlando suburb came to his defense during a heated debate about his resignation offer Monday, saying Lee was being made a scapegoat by “a minimal number of people with a loud voice.”
Commissioner Patty Mahany called Lee “one of the finest officers in Florida.”
Sanford Mayor Jeff Triplett and Commissioner Randy Jones joined Mahany in voting against the resolution that would have permitted Sanford City Manager Norton Bonaparte to accept Lee’s resignation.
Commissioners Velma Williams and Mark McCarty voted to allow Lee to step down, the Orlando Sentinel reported.
About 50 vocal supporters of Lee attended the meeting, with one holding up a sign that read “Bring back Billy,” the Sentinel said.
The same commission handed Lee a 3-2 vote of no confidence last month over his handling of the probe into Martin’s death.
Lee’s department cited Florida’s controversial “Stand Your Ground” law, which permits a person to use deadly force to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm without first attempting to retreat, as a reason for not apprehending Zimmerman soon after the shooting.
Zimmerman was taken into custody and charged with second-degree murder on April 11.
The six-week interval between Martin’s death and Zimmerman’s arrest sparked nationwide protests about perceived racial injustice.
Zimmerman — who is part white, part Hispanic — was released on $150,000 bail around midnight Sunday night.
He has pleaded not guilty.