An internal investigation resulted in a two-day suspension of a SWAT member of the Los Angeles Police Department who was seen on body camera footage wishing his squad “happy hunting” prior to a deadly police shooting last year, according to LAPD disciplinary records.
Due to state privacy laws, the records that the Los Angeles Times obtained, solely refer to the officer by his rank as police officer III.
The cop made the statement while he and other SWAT members were gearing up to surround a gunman who was barricaded inside an apartment complex. According to the police, the suspect opened fire from a window and was killed when the policemen returned fire.
Officials from the department claim that the comment was recorded on a different officer’s body camera and was discovered after a review of the incident’s footage.
Critics of the NYPD pounced on the incident and said that it revealed a cruel and heartless attitude inside SWAT, according to the Times.
The unit’s members have regularly displayed restraint and skill while addressing challenging and hazardous circumstances, according to Los Angeles Police Department Chief Michel Moore, who at the time expressed his discomfort about the “happy hunting” remark.
(With inputs from agencies)
