HOUSTON - Although Rice University officials deny their police chief and a major have resigned rather than being fired, Chief Bill Taylor and Major Dianna Marshall have turned in their resignations.
Taylor and Marshall are the one's who fired university police officer David Sedmak for leaving the university campus to assist two Houston police officers involved in a shootout at the Greyhound bus station.
On May 7th there was a shoot-out between police and a nut with a gun in the Houston Greyhound Bus Station. Both Houston officers were shot before the gunman shot and killed himself.
When the call went out over area police radios to 'Assist The Officer - Officer Down' Sedmak responded from the university campus about 3 miles away.
For his effort to help save the lives of two Houston Police Officers, officer David Sedmak, a former Galveston Police Officer, was fired by Rice University officials for leaving his assigned patrol area, the university campus.
"Sedmak left his post when only two other officers were on duty," said university officials, which "could have endangered the safety of our students and campus."
Since his firing there has been a massive outcry from students and alumni denouncing the action against the officer. The university was also denounced by local and statewide law enforcement organizations including the Houston Police Officer's Union and the Texas Municipal Police Association.
Rice officials say Taylor will stay on the university payroll in some kind of civilian capacity while Marshall says she will go back to college for a degree so she can one day be a police chief.
In the meantime, Sgt. Clemente Rodriquez will be Interim Police Chief until a national search can be conducted for a fulltime chief.
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