‘Let’s start a riot’: Denver officer under internal investigation after riot gear Instagram post

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As demonstrators across the nation participate in protests for justice for George Floyd, a Denver police officer is under an internal investigation after a photo and caption allegedly appeared on an Instagram account. What’s the big deal? The three officers in the photo reportedly had on riot gear and the caption of the post said: “let’s start a riot” as reported by local outlet Denver 7 ABC. The post allegedly appeared on the account of Thomas J. McClay, as reported by WSBTV.

After a screenshot of the post was shared to Reddit on Monday, Denver police said Police Chief Paul Pazen ordered an Internal Affairs investigation into the post, as reported by local outlet CBS 4 Denver. On Monday, Pazen linked arms with protestors and joined a demonstration. 

Denver police also said the officers in the post will not work the protests and have been reassigned.  McClay’s Instagram account has been removed. The original post is no longer available. The Instagram post was reportedly made on Sunday. 

The Denver Police Department tweeted the following on the incident:

Sonny Jackson, the spokesperson for the Denver police department, added to Colorado Politics that the department is taking the matter “very seriously.”

In the big picture, protesters across the nation report being handcuffed, detained, and met with tear gas. Some journalists have reported being targeted by police. On Monday night, dozens of demonstrators took overnight refuge in the home of a Washington, D.C. local after being blocked into a street by Washington police. It’s estimated that more than 4,000 people at protests have been arrested over the weekend.

Update: According to BuzzFeed News, Officer Thomas McClay was fired on Tuesday.