Thomas Perumean/Houston Public Media

The Houston Police Department announced Friday that it fired officer Ashley Gonzalez less than a week after a video went viral that showed her making racist comments about Black people.

In a statement posted on social media, HPD said Gonzalez’s employment was terminated Friday.

“HPD holds every officer to the highest standards of integrity and conduct, and will not waver in upholding these expectations,” HPD said in the statement.

Gonzalez was placed on paid leave earlier this week after HPD announced it would investigate the video. In the video, which went viral online, a woman makes repeated derogatory comments about Black people while repeatedly using racial slurs, including “chimps.”

The video sparked outrage online and from local elected officials and activists. Several city leaders and local civil rights groups, including the Houston chapter of the NAACP, called on HPD to fire Gonzalez.

On Friday morning, Houston-area civil rights activists Candice Matthews and Quanell X led a protest outside HPD headquarters, calling on the department to fire Gonzalez for the comments made in the video.

“The viral footage speaks for itself,” Matthews said in a statement. “This level of blatant racism is unacceptable from anyone sworn to serve and protect our communities. We are calling on the entire city of Houston to stand with us and demand real accountability — not silence, not excuses, and not quiet exits.”

In a statement announcing Gonzalez’s termination, Houston Police Chief Noe Diaz said her comments had no place in the city.

“The behavior exhibited by Ashley Gonzalez was abhorrent, disgusting, and entirely unacceptable,” Diaz said. “It is deeply disturbing and has no place in law enforcement or in our community.”

Gonzalez could not immediately be reached for comment.