Officials with the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) confirm Lethbridge police are investigating reported death threats against the officer who killed a deer on Saturday night with a police vehicle.
At approximately 10:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 5, the member of the Lethbridge Police Service responded to the 1600 block of Scenic Drive South following multiple reports of an injured deer. The officer proceeded to drive an LPS truck back and forth atop the deer until the animal died. The incident was recorded by a civilian and LPS officials were notified of the incident on Monday, January 7.
On Tuesday, January 8, the LPS stated that ASIRT was investigating the ‘actions of a Lethbridge Police officer who used his service vehicle to euthanize an injured deer’ and confirmed that the officer remained an active member of the service pending the outcome of the investigation.
The civilian’s video of the deer’s death was shared with, and aired by, media outlets and the disturbing images prompted an outpouring of concern from the public. An online petition calling for the badge of the LPS member garnered more than 17,000 signatures in less than 24 hours.
ASIRT says there have been reports of death threats against the unidentified officer and the Lethbridge Police Service is investigating the threats.
The Lethbridge Police Service and the director of public complaints for the Lethbridge Police Service have been overwhelmed with phone calls, voicemails, emails and messages on social media and the organizations lack the capacity to respond to all of the concerns.
Anyone who witnessed the officer’s actions in person or recorded the incident is encouraged by the to contact ASIRT at 403-592-4306.
