At tonight’s Unified Government Commission meeting, Mayor Mark Holland apologized to Capt. Robert “Dave” Melton’s family.
“Following our conversation, I want to publicly reiterate my apology to them, for the timing of my remarks at the press conference, following the death of their brother, Capt. Dave Melton, who was tragically killed in the line of duty. As both a pastor and a mayor, I would never intentionally introduce controversial comments during a time of grief, and for that I am deeply sorry,” Mayor Holland said during the UG meeting Sept. 15.
“The focus remains that Dave Melton is a hero,” Mayor Holland said. “He is a hero to our country, for his service in the military, and a hero to our community, giving his life to keep us safe.”
Capt. Melton, a member of the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department, was slain in the line of duty on Tuesday, July 19, in Kansas City, Kan.
Mayor Holland was criticized at a UG meeting Aug. 11 by some members of the Melton family for a phrase the mayor said at a news conference about “loss of innocent lives at the hands of police.”
The mayor later met with the Melton family.