KILLEEN, Texas (FOX 44) – At-large City Councilman Ken Wilkerson has submitted his resignation from the Killeen City Council, effective immediately.

The City of Killeen says Wilkerson submitted his resignation on Monday, May 15. Wilkerson was first elected in 2020, and has served as mayor pro tem since May 2022.

The Council will select a replacement for Wilkerson at a future Council meeting in accordance with Article III, Section 26 of the City Charter, which states that, “A vacancy in the council of the City of Killeen, except the office of Mayor, shall be filled by a majority vote of the remaining members of the council, by the selecting of a person possessing all the qualifications prescribed by Section 23 of this Article, and who shall be a bona fide resident of the district in which the vacancy occurs; unless the vacancy in office is that of a councilmember at large, in which case the person selected to fill the vacancy shall be a bona fide resident of the City of Killeen without regard to the district in which he resides.” 

Wilkerson’s resignation comes almost a month after an argument during the April 18th council workshop meeting with a member of the public identified as Michael Fornino. At one point in the argument, Fornino accused Wilkerson of having a role in the mass shooting that took place in 2014 on then-Fort Hood.

Wilkerson left his council seat after the argument and confronted Fornino, according to the Killeen Daily Herald. Wilkerson apologized later during the meeting.

On May 2nd, Fornino appeared in another workshop meeting and demanded that Wilkerson resign or he would file a police report against him. FOX 44 News reached out to Fornino, who says he did file a report.

At the end of that meeting, the city council voted to reprimand the Mayor Pro Tem. Wilkerson himself voted for the reprimand.

The City of Killeen has no other comment.