The chief of the Cleveland Division of Fire was placed on paid administrative leave after sharing an “insensitive” and “incendiary” social media post in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, Mayor Justin Bibb announced Tuesday.
The since-deleted Facebook post by Anthony P. Luke referred to Kirk and featured a cartoon showing elephants worshiping a golden rifle with one elephant declaring, “Bring out the next sacrifice!!” according to Fox 8 News.
The post reportedly appeared on Luke’s personal Facebook page after Kirk, a 31-year-old father of two, was tragically killed at a college campus event in Utah Sept. 10.
Bibb said the post “crossed the line.”
Charlie Kirk speaks at Utah Valley University Sept. 10, 2025, in Orem, Utah, prior to the assassination. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune/Getty Images)
“Chief Luke’s post crossed the line. It was insensitive, it was incendiary, and it did not reflect the values of compassion, unity, and safety that I strive to stand for—and that every public safety leader in this city should embody. Therefore, I am, effective immediately, placing Chief Luke on paid administrative leave pending an investigation,” Bibb concluded.
Luke was appointed as the city’s 17th fire chief.
