The country is shaken over the police-involved deaths of black men, after Alton Sterling and Philando Castile were both killed by police officers within 48 hours.
And while the internet is a common place to air frustrations and grievances, Facebook comments can have real world consequences. That’s the lesson Anthony Venable is learning today.
Venable, a police officer in Nashville, commented on a Facebook post about Philando Castile Thursday afternoon. A woman was criticizing the officer who reportedly shot Castile four times after he informed the officer he was legally carrying a gun and reached for his ID in his pocket. Castile was pulled over for a broken taillight.
“Is part of wearing that vest and 25lbs of gear shooting someone four times and then whining like a little b---- while continuing to keep your weapon drawn on someone while they bleed to death over a period of 10+ minutes?” she asked.
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“Yeah, I would’ve done 5,” Venable responded.
Metropolitan Nashville Police Department Chief Steve Anderson announced later that day that Venable would be decommissioned pending an internal investigation into his post. He was the midnight shift officer and had been with the department for eight years.
Anderson said they learned about the Facebook comment at 3 p.m. Thursday and then questioned Venable, who said he was being sarcastic.
“The police department is treating this matter very seriously and took immediate action, regardless of what he claims the context to have been,” Chief Anderson said.
Noelle Yazdani, the public affairs officer for the Nashville Police Department, said being decommissioned means Venable has been suspended pending the results of the investigation.
“Venable’s police authority has been suspended,” Yazdani wrote in an email. “His police credentials and weapons have been turned in while the administrative investigation takes place.”
Anderson released a statement hours later saying he was “extremely concerned” and “disturbed” by the shootings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile.
“Our training emphasizes the sanctity of human life,” Anderson said. “I have confidence in the men and women working to protect the people of this city, their moral ethic, the skills they possess, and their ability to make appropriate decisions in difficult situations.”
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