Just following the crime chiefs orders.
This is where significant rubber actually hits the road of freedom. The "chief" in this instance is the governor of NC, and a Nuremberg defense has no place in this setting.
The citizens in NC have allowed their political representatives to grant the governor the statutory authority to exercise certain police powers at certain unusual times, or they haven't. If the governor has those powers they either have, or have not been properly exercised. Likewise, if such statutes are in place, the suspended Chief and his replacement were either acting in accordance of those statutes or they were not
Is there room in "our nation of laws" scheme to allow lesser municipal authorities the right to ignore higher authority because its directives may be believed to be unconstitutional? What if a Chief of Police decides a protesting group's initiation of physical force during a demonstration is simply part of the group's "constitutional freedom of speech" and directs his people to take no action?
The national lockdowns and other measures have demonstrated to many voters just what authoritarian government along with petty, unqualified officials and their handmaiden, Zero Tolerance, looks like.
Our nation is based, however, on resolving such matters via the courts. The courts in many states are presently looking at cv19-related suits and some have already found governors lacked authority for their actions.
As a physical fitness buff and gym rat, I would almost certainly enjoy being a member of Nick's gym and I wish him good fortune.