Village clerk fired over Ferguson shooting comments

POSTED 7:01 PM, MARCH 17, 2015, BY SHAWNDREA THOMAS, UPDATED AT 06:58PM, MARCH 17, 2015


Meeting Video

• UPLANDS PARK, MO (KTVI) – John Muhammad is no longer working as the Village Clerk of Uplands Park. Village leaders confirmed that he has been fired. That decision came during Tuesday night’s village meeting. The meeting started at 6 pm and went into a 2-hour closed session for discussion. Muhammad’s employment was the only item on the agenda. The village clerk was suspended last week for making inflammatory statements during a FOX News interview about the police shootings in Ferguson. The former clerk said the shootings were quote “set up by police”. Since then the small village has made big headlines. Muhammad didn’t want to go on camera but village attorney and Chairman Richard J. Magee and Michael Spurling had their say.

“This was a unanimous decision of the board to terminate John Muhammad as clerk. The reason for the termination is he continued to misrepresent his position as city administrator and manager rather than village clerk” said Magee.

“John Muhammad does not speak for the Village of Uplands Park. We’re glad they caught the person that did this to the officers and wish both a speedy recovery.” Said Spurling.

Muhammad did ask to retrieve his belongings then quickly left the building. Uplands Park has a population of 447 residents. Now the number of village employees has dropped from three to two.