DURHAM -- An online petition has been launched calling for the removal of Durham Police Chief Jose Lopez and a rally is taking place Thursday. This is amid several investigations into the chief’s actions and comments, including claims he joked about a shooting victim who was also a Durham lawyer.

Durham based teleivsion station WTVD reports the Assistant Police Chief Winslow Forbes has filed a federal discrimination complaint, alleging Lopez said the attorney deserved to be shot because he was a public defender. That alleged comment has sparked outrage with multiple letters from attorneys to the city declaring they are offended.

There’s also another internal probe earlier this year where Forbes also questioned the hiring of police chief’s nephew.

In a complaint filed earlier this year, Forbes also questioned the cadet's criminal record after allegations of favoritism surfaced, and claims that he'd failed to disclose his prior worthless check charges.
He's now an officer, vetted by state officials and hired in compliance with the city's nepotism policy.

The Durham Fraternal Order of Police stands by Chief Lopez and has been critical of what it terms the airing of “dirty laundry in public.”