Judge upholds firing of beach officer over racist posts

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — A judge has upheld a decision to fire a central Florida beach officer that posted racist comments on Facebook about Trayvon Martin.

The Daytona Beach News-Journal reported Thursday that Volusia County beach officer Todd Snipes filed a lawsuit two years ago.

He was fired for posting messages celebrating the shooting of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin. Court records said he posted the messages while on duty.

One of the messages said another "thug" was gone and people should know to pull their pants up and be respectful.