FULLERTON – An officer charged in the death of a homeless man is no longer employed by the city, becoming the third of six officers involved in the fatal confrontation to leave the Fullerton Police Department, authorities announced Friday.

The department’s employment of Cpl. Jay Cicinelli ended July 20, Fullerton police officials confirmed in a statement released late Friday.

All six officers involved in the confrontation with Kelly Thomas, a mentally ill transient, at the Fullerton Transportation Center on July 5, 2011 were placed on leave after his death.

The two officers charged in Thomas’ death – Cicinelli and Manuel Ramos – were placed on unpaid leave and remain free on bail.

The Orange County District Attorney’s Office has charged Ramos with second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter. Cicinelli has been charged with involuntary manslaughter and excessive force. Both have pleaded not guilty.

Officers confronted Thomas as they investigated a call that someone fitting Thomas’ description was trying to open car doors.

A surveillance video showed an escalating situation that became violent when, according to prosecutors, Ramos snapped on gloves and threatened Thomas. When Thomas tried to flee, officers tackled him, hit him, wrestled him to the ground and shocked him with a Taser.

The Register in May reported that Ramos and Cicinelli had been notified of Fullerton Capt. Dan Hughes’ intention to fire them, although police officials declined to discuss the findings of their internal investigation.

But according to his stepfather, Cicinelli received a 3½-page letter detailing policy infractions that included not turning on his digital audio recorder attached to his belt and using too much force.

The letter went on to state that Cicinelli should have known that Thomas was suspected of a minor crime and, because he was shirtless, had no weapons and posed no threat, said his stepfather, John Huelsman: “Jay is going to fight every aspect of this. To tell him that he is pending termination and he should have known these things is absolutely asinine.”

Ramos’ employment with the city ended July 3.

The employment of Officer Joe Wolfe, who has not been criminally charged but who can be seen on surveillance video delivering the first baton blow to Thomas, ended July 16.

Citing state law, police officials have not commented on whether the officers’ had been fired or had resigned.

In the statement released Friday, Hughes indicated that the status of the other three officers involved in the incident “remains unchanged,” and that officials are declining to “discuss any proposed discipline or the findings of an internal investigation.”

Contact the writer: 714-796-7939 or semery@ocregister.com