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http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_062008_news_butcher_gun.200f667a.html
ANCOUVER, Wash. -- An off-duty Vancouver police officer pulled his gun on his butcher but he did not lose his job, authorities said.
KGW report on butcher incident Now that officer is back on the beat - no charges filed - and no suspension recommended. But the butcher said it shows Vancouver Police are only interested in covering for one of their own.
NewsChannel 8 obtained the 411-page internal report on the incident, which happened last December at Top Choice Meats on Fourth Plain in Vancouver. The report details how officer Roger Evans pulled his gun, and it sheds new light on what butcher Mike Brannan called an effort to downplay the whole incident.
In an interview with NewsChannel 8 Brannan said he's had, "Some pretty sleepless nights thinking about that."
The incident stemmed from the way Evans' deer jerky was prepared. Both Evans and Brannan admit it wasnt' seasoned properly. Brannan said he offered a discount, but Evans wanted it for free. The two argued loudly in the store, before walking out to Evans' personal car, when Brannan tried to hand over the box.
As Brannan pushed the box into Evans' arms, Evans told investigators he felt threatened. In the internal report Evans told investigators, "he's a butcher, he carries weapons... He's probably good with them."
However, Brannan did not have a weapon on him at any point that night. Still, Evans maintained he felt sufficiently threatened to pull out his duty gun and point it at Brannan - even though he wasn't on duty at the time.
Brannan said, "He could have easily pulled that trigger and killed me in the parking lot."
The incident launched the six-month investigation, which concluded this week with the internal report. Although Evans was placed on administrative duty while the investigation was underway, the District Attorney did not file charges, and Evans was allowed back on the beat this month with no further disciplinary action.
"I will always feel that this was a cover up," Brannan said. "It just further convinces me of how the city will cover stuff up to protect its own."
Supporting that idea, a copy of a conversation between a Vancouver Police Commander and 9-1-1 dispatchers on the night of the incident that was included in the internal report. The Commander asks, "Is the media on the scene?" The operator responds, "No. But they're calling. We've tried to downplay it a couple times... Because... they don't really understand that it's actually a police officer."
Brannan wants Evans either suspended, or fired. He said, "If you can't handle that kind of job and that kind of position, you shouldn't be doing it." Brannan said he is still considering a suit against the City of Vancouver.
The internal papers make note that no one was hurt in the incident. Brannan said that's not true. He said he still wakes up in the middle of the night, thinking about the gun pointed right at him.
http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_062008_news_butcher_gun.200f667a.html
ANCOUVER, Wash. -- An off-duty Vancouver police officer pulled his gun on his butcher but he did not lose his job, authorities said.
KGW report on butcher incident Now that officer is back on the beat - no charges filed - and no suspension recommended. But the butcher said it shows Vancouver Police are only interested in covering for one of their own.
NewsChannel 8 obtained the 411-page internal report on the incident, which happened last December at Top Choice Meats on Fourth Plain in Vancouver. The report details how officer Roger Evans pulled his gun, and it sheds new light on what butcher Mike Brannan called an effort to downplay the whole incident.
In an interview with NewsChannel 8 Brannan said he's had, "Some pretty sleepless nights thinking about that."
The incident stemmed from the way Evans' deer jerky was prepared. Both Evans and Brannan admit it wasnt' seasoned properly. Brannan said he offered a discount, but Evans wanted it for free. The two argued loudly in the store, before walking out to Evans' personal car, when Brannan tried to hand over the box.
As Brannan pushed the box into Evans' arms, Evans told investigators he felt threatened. In the internal report Evans told investigators, "he's a butcher, he carries weapons... He's probably good with them."
However, Brannan did not have a weapon on him at any point that night. Still, Evans maintained he felt sufficiently threatened to pull out his duty gun and point it at Brannan - even though he wasn't on duty at the time.
Brannan said, "He could have easily pulled that trigger and killed me in the parking lot."
The incident launched the six-month investigation, which concluded this week with the internal report. Although Evans was placed on administrative duty while the investigation was underway, the District Attorney did not file charges, and Evans was allowed back on the beat this month with no further disciplinary action.
"I will always feel that this was a cover up," Brannan said. "It just further convinces me of how the city will cover stuff up to protect its own."
Supporting that idea, a copy of a conversation between a Vancouver Police Commander and 9-1-1 dispatchers on the night of the incident that was included in the internal report. The Commander asks, "Is the media on the scene?" The operator responds, "No. But they're calling. We've tried to downplay it a couple times... Because... they don't really understand that it's actually a police officer."
Brannan wants Evans either suspended, or fired. He said, "If you can't handle that kind of job and that kind of position, you shouldn't be doing it." Brannan said he is still considering a suit against the City of Vancouver.
The internal papers make note that no one was hurt in the incident. Brannan said that's not true. He said he still wakes up in the middle of the night, thinking about the gun pointed right at him.