OXFORD, Miss. (localmemphis.com) – The Oxford Board of Aldermen accepted the resignation of two police officers Tuesday night, after the firing of Officer Matthew Kinne in the death of Dominique Clayton.
“We did accept two resignations tonight Officer Ryan Winters and Officer Collins Bryant,“ said Oxford Mayor Robyn Tannehill. “But as that is a personnel issue, by Mississippi law, I’m unable to comment on that.“
Mayor Tannehill did not share the dates of the officer resignations. However, attorney Carlos Moore, who is representing the family of victim Dominique Clayton, believes they resigned May 23. That’s four days after Clayton’s murder. Clayton was found dead in her home by her 8-year-old son May 19.
“They were told that they could resign or be fired after going on administrative leave,“ said Carlos Moore, Clayton family attorney. The only person that would have that authority would be the chief of police or the interim chief of police.“
The Oxford interim police chief remained tight-lipped.
“We’re trying to be very transparent,“ said Interim Police Chief Jeff McCutchen. “We understand there is some frustration involved in what we can and can’t say. We can’t comment on the MBI investigation, we can’t comment on the personnel matters.“
Moore believes the Oxford officers to be unethical, but not directly related in Clayton’s homicide.
“We don’t believe these individuals resigned because they had anything to do with the actual murder of Ms. Clayton, but there were some impropriates,“ said Moore.
Moore’s team is still deciding whether or not to file a civil lawsuit.
“I can tell you he (Matthew Kinne) used his city, duty weapon,“ said Moore. “I can tell you he was on the clock. You do the math. We’ll be making an official announcement sometime soon.“
Former Oxford Police Officer Kinne held a romantic affair with Clayton for at least a year, according to a close family friend. Carlos Moore says several other Oxford officers are of interest to his legal team.
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation continues to handle the criminal investigation while the Attorney General’s office handles the internal investigation.