Perkins puts Selma Police Chief Kenta Fulford on administrative leave after violent weekend

Selma Mayor James Perkins Jr. announced on Tuesday he has put Police Chief Kenta Fulford on administrative leave with pay after a violent weekend led to the shooting of two high school students.

Perkins will hold a press conference at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday to give an update on the recent shootings and the public safety response to appeals for school safety assistance by the school system leadership. He will also discuss the reason for placing the police chief on administrative leave.

Selma High and the alternative school were placed on virtual classes on Monday due to concerns about safety after the first student was shot on Friday night and prompted other violent incidents throughout the weekend.

Selma City Schools made the decision to reopen those campuses on Tuesday evening after receiving assurances of increased police presence at the schools. However, by the end of the day Tuesday, the district closed the campuses again for virtual learning for the rest of the week to give local law enforcement time "to identify and apprehend those involved in last weekend's shootings and ongoing threats."

No information about the shootings was made available by police over the weekend, leading to a social media frenzy from parents and residents. The Selma Sun attempted to get answers for the community by calling Fulford and other top officers for information, but officers reached said Fulford was the only one who could speak and he was out of town and would return calls on Monday. He has not yet returned calls to the Selma Sun.

The administrative leave is pending the outcome of legally required due process, the mayor said in the statement. A hearing will be conducted by the appointing authority, which is the city council.

This is the second time Mayor Perkins has placed Chief Fulford on administrative leave. The first time the city council reversed the mayor’s decision.