Atlanta — Saying America was watching, Cobb County officials on Thursday announced plans to fire a police lieutenant who told a woman during a traffic stop that “we only shoot black people.”

But Lt. Greg Abbott sent an email to the county announcing that he plans to retire, even as the police chief was on live television saying Abbott would be terminated, according to Cobb County Commission Chairman Mike Boyce. Boyce said he was unsure how that development would affect the decision to fire the lieutenant.

The racial comments by Abbott, who is white, only surfaced this week, when WSB-TV aired video from Abbott’s dash cam from a July 10, 2016, traffic stop. Abbott has been on the Cobb force for 28 years.

“Remember, we only shoot black people,” Abbott says on the video. “Yeah. We only kill black people, right?” He was speaking to a white woman who was a passenger in a car that had been pulled over for DUI.

At a news conference on Thursday afternoon in Marietta, Ga., police Chief Mike Register said, “There is no place for those types of comments. This badge and uniform should mean justice and fairness for all.

“I have known Lieutenant Abbott for years and perceive him as honorable, but he’s made a mistake. I don’t know what is in his heart, but I know what came out of his mouth. We recommend that he be terminated and we are moving forward on that.”

Register said the recommendation to fire Abbott came from his command staff. Register notified Abbott of the recommendation on Thursday morning.

“Not only is Cobb County watching, but America is watching what we do to respond to these events,” Boyce said at the news conference. “What we told America today is that we are different. We believe in the rule of law. We believe in equal justice. We have a long way to go, but our journey is forward.”