A Pinellas County Sheriff's deputy has been fired over a social media post.

Pinellas deputy fired over social media post

Deputy makes reference to possible near-shooting

Man who said he went to high school with deputy flagged post



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According to Sgt. Spencer Gross, Deputy Austen Callus was fired Thursday after a Snapchat post regarding a possible near-shooting.

The post, which also features a picture of Callus in a car, reads: "Nothing like almost shooting someone to set your head right lol. God I gate [sic] people with knives."

The image was shared by Joseph Wood, who posted the Snapchat picture. Earlier this week, the sheriff's office received multiple complaints regarding the post.

Wood, who told Bay News 9 he went to high school with Callus, asked at the bottom of his post: "This is the kind of cop Pinellas county sheriff's office hires?" and "Someone who wants to shoot someone just to get his head right?"

During an interview Thursday with Bay News 9's Josh Rojas, Wood said the post was originally made by a friend of his who blurred the photo. Wood said he reached out and asked her for more information.

"She doesn't live in the state anymore, and I got hold of her because me and her went to high school together, too," Wood said. "I wanted to know who it was to protect myself."

"She messaged me back and she told me who it was, and then that's when I realized that I also went to school with him," he said.



The incident to which Callus, 23, was speaking about in the post remains unclear.

The incident was serious enough for Callus, a deputy since November, to be placed on leave and eventually fired. Callus had been assigned to the Patrol Operations Bureau as a deputy patrolling North District.

Investigators immediately confronted Callus about the post and he admitted to placing the photograph and statement on Snapchat, Gross said. Callus was still on probationary status at the time of his termination.

"You guys (media) are constantly telling us not to Snapchat and drive," Wood said, "and we have our own deputies Snapchatting and driving and talking about how much they hate people with knives."

Wood said Callus asked him to remove the post but he refused to do so.

"I wasn't going to do that because everyone needs to know," Wood said.

This scenario is unfolding just days after another Pinellas deputy is in hot water over a series of inappropriate social media messages found on a work-issued phone.