Franklin Templeton terminated employee Amy Cooper in connection with a racially charged incident Monday in New York's Central Park that was captured on video.
Ms. Cooper was head of insurance investment solutions for Franklin Templeton's fixed-income group, according to her now-deleted LinkedIn profile.
Ms. Cooper was walking in the park's Ramble area with her dog, Henry, who was off his leash. Christian Cooper, a birdwatcher, asked Ms. Cooper to leash the dog, and recorded the encounter and posted the video on his Facebook page. The video shows Ms. Cooper calling the police saying that an "African-American man is recording me and threatening myself and my dog."
Mr. Cooper's video went viral, attracting more than 15,000 comments on his Facebook page.
In an emailed statement provided Tuesday to Pensions & Investments, Franklin Templeton said: "Following our internal review of the incident in Central Park yesterday, we made the decision to terminate the employee involved, effective immediately. We do not tolerate racism of any kind at Franklin Templeton."
The firm announced Monday on Twitter that the employee involved had been placed on administrative leave.
Neither of the firm's statements identified Ms. Cooper by name.
Stacey Coleman, a Franklin Templeton spokeswoman, did not respond to requests for confirmation of the identity of the terminated employee.
Ms. Cooper "voluntarily surrendered the dog in question" to Abandoned Angels Cocker Spaniel Rescue "while this matter is being addressed," according to a post by the shelter on Twitter.
