Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva’s chief of staff is being reassigned after facing criticism for recent social media posts in which he said Andres Guardado, the 18-year-old who was fatally shot in the back by a deputy in Gardena last month, “chose his fate.”

Capt. John Burcher, one of Villanueva’s closest advisors, will be removed as chief of staff and transferred to the agency’s East Patrol Division, effective Sunday, according to an internal Sheriff’s Department announcement.

When reached by phone Wednesday, Burcher declined to comment on the social media posts or the new assignment.

Screenshots of the posts show that Burcher also hurled insults at other Facebook users. In one post, he called someone an idiot and a moron. In a second he called someone a “racist” and used an expletive.

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