Florida Cop Gets Fired for Singing “Let the Killing Begin” with Death Metal Band Vital Remains

Andrew Ricks, a police officer in Florida, has been relieved of duty after joining the band Vital Remains on stage for a song while in full uniform.

Ricks, an apparent fan of the long-running brutal death metal band, stood on stage at their West End Trading Co. show in Sanford, Florida last week. While in full uniform, he engaged in a quick hail of the ol’ Satan, then took the mic to kick off “Dechristianize,” a song about denying god and religion, by screaming the words to its introduction, “Let the killing begin.”

Honestly, that probably wasn’t the smartest thing to do while on duty and in uniform (a dead giveaway that you are in fact a cop). But then again, a quick scan of YouTube will show you some cops doing much, much, much, much, much worse things with a badge on. Ricks had already notified the city of his intention to resign on October 30, but after a YouTube video of the performance caught the attention of the police department, he was relieved of duty on Wednesday.

"An incident of this nature erodes the thin fibers of trust which already exist between the community and the police and it will not tolerated within the Sanford Police Department," Police Chief Cecil B. Smith said in a statement.

Yes, definitely, this public display of a cop enjoying music like a normal human, that is what’s eroding the bond between the police and the community. Not, you know, all of the excessive brutality and long, unchecked history of racial discrimination. Glad we’ve identified the problem and are getting all of these dangerous metal enthusiast cops off the streets.

Just out of curiosity, let's check in on some other cops in Florida and see how they're doing this month…

Here’s an officer in Boynton accused of raping a waitress on the hood of his patrol car at gunpoint. He was acquitted.

Two officers in Orlando were caught on video repeatedly kicking a tasering a man. They won’t be charged.

Oh, and this officer in Ft. Lauderdale, who was scheduled to be honored at a Mothers Against Drunk Driving conference, showed up to collect his award drunk and stripped down to his underwear. He received the brutal punishment of a day's suspension and had to write a letter of apology to the police chief.

Vital Remains has not weighed in though we have reached out to them for comment.