Racist textual content messaging investigation rocks Northern California police division

ALAMEDA, Calif. — Greater than a dozen cops are beneath investigation in a racist textual content messaging probe that has rocked the Northern California metropolis of Antioch, an investigative report launched Thursday present.

A decide launched the investigative report compiled by the Contra Costa County District Lawyer’s Workplace that included the partly redacted messages after a joint FBI and native investigation into the town’s police division.

The messages, which have been despatched in 2020 and 2021, element officers’ allegedly utilizing racial epithets and homophobic slurs, sharing racist photographs and casually discussing the usage of “much less deadly” weapons on individuals, together with the town’s mayor, who’s Black.

The vast majority of the roughly 114,000 residents of Antioch, about 45 miles northeast of San Francisco, are minorities.

The messages might have far-reaching implications for felony instances linked to the officers. Authorities provided the messages last week to defense lawyers for 4 males charged with homicide and different crimes after two of the accused have been named within the messages.

An legal professional for one of many males stated Thursday the messages might undermine the officers’ credibility in tons of of convictions, if no more.

“Proper now there are individuals sitting in jail primarily based on the phrase of those officers who’ve been concerned in utilizing this horribly offensive language,” stated Evan Kuluk, the deputy public defender for Contra Costa County. “That’s an insupportable scenario.”

In a message included within the investigative report and dated April 29, 2020, Officer Morteza Amiri informed an officer from a close-by division that as a result of his company doesn’t document interviews on video, “I generally simply say individuals gave me a full confession after they did not.”

“Will get filed simpler,” Amiri stated, in line with the report.

Amiri didn’t reply to a request for remark Thursday night time.

In one other message, despatched April 24, 2020, Sgt. Josh Evans allegedly used a racist slur for a Black particular person and stated he would bury the particular person “in my fields,” the report stated.

In a message included in a separate supplemental report from the Contra Costa County District Lawyer’s Workplace, Officer Eric Rombough allegedly despatched Evans a photograph of one of many suspects accused of homicide in what seemed to be a hospital mattress.

“You plugged him within the neck? Lol,” Evans allegedly responded, in line with the report, which was offered to NBC Information by Mathew Martinez, a lawyer for suspect Trent Allen.

Evans allegedly added that Allen’s damage sounded “like his fault.”

“So was the 6 muzzle thumps and me making an attempt to kick his head over the fence,” Rombough allegedly wrote again, in line with the supplemental report.

Evans didn’t reply to a request for remark Thursday night time. Rombough couldn’t be reached for remark at an electronic mail account related to him.

Different messages from the report seem to point out Rombough utilizing derogatory phrases for Black individuals and sharing racist photographs.

In a message on Nov. 22, 2021, Rombough allegedly texted an officer, “I’m solely stopping them cuz they black,” and added an expletive.

In different messages, the president of the Antioch Police Affiliation, Sgt. Rick Hoffman, allegedly described a suspect with a homophobic slur and used a vulgar phrase to say what he did to the suspect.

Hoffman didn’t reply to a request for remark Thursday night time. The union additionally didn’t reply to a request for remark.

Different messages present officers allegedly discussing utilizing a much less deadly weapon on suspects and others, together with Mayor Lamar Thorpe.

On June 8, 2020, Officer John Ramirez allegedly texted a gaggle of twenty-two officers and stated: “I’ll purchase somebody a first-rate rib dinner at Home of prim rib to 40 that (expletive) in the course of the protest at the moment.”

“This can be a reference to the potential use of a .40mm much less deadly launcher being utilized on present Antioch Mayor Lamar Thorpe,” wrote Senior Inspector Larry Wallace of the district legal professional’s workplace, the creator of the investigative report that included the messages.

Ramirez didn’t reply to a request for remark Thursday night time.

It isn’t clear whether or not the officers named within the investigative report are on go away. The police division, the mayor and an legal professional for the officers didn’t reply to requests for remark.

The legal professional, Michael Rains, told NBC Bay Area on Tuesday that folks ought to keep away from leaping to conclusions.

“It must be an intensive, honest investigation that everyone has religion and belief in if the officers dedicated misconduct,” he informed the station. “I feel you bought a police chief in Antioch that’s going to make that discovering and goes to take what kind of self-discipline the regulation requires, wherever as much as and together with terminations.”

An FBI spokesperson declined to touch upon its investigation.

Thorpe has condemned the alleged texts, saying in a video stapartment Sunday that the police division “has lengthy been an enormous authorized and monetary legal responsibility, which is on full show at the moment.”

“The tradition of the division requires additional exploration, together with: how the hell did all this alleged misconduct might go on for therefore lengthy with out anybody at our command employees noticing,” Thorpe stated. “From lieutenant on as much as the chief.”

At a City Council meeting TuesdayThorpe requested Police Chief Steven Ford whether or not he believed the messages have been “fallacious in nature.”

Ford began to reply earlier than the town legal professional minimize him off, saying he shouldn’t supply an opinion on a matter beneath overview.