Peoria Police Officer Posts Bullet-Riddled Obama Shirt on Facebook

PEORIA, Ariz. - A Peoria police officer posted a photo on Facebook, and on Friday morning, Peoria police are investigating one of their own.

The picture shows a group of young men holding a T-shirt with President Barack Obama's image on it, and the shirt appears to have been shot at, because it's covered with bullet holes.

The last time Sgt. Pat Shearer was in the media was in 2007, when he received the Medal of Honor for his heroic efforts for placing himself in harm's way by pulling a driver from a burning car. He is a 15-year veteran of the Peoria Police Department.

Now he's in the news for a very different story.

"Yesterday early afternoon we received information via two sources... to picture in social media. We have launched an investigation to see if any policy violations have occurred," says Peoria Police spokesperson Jay Davies.

The picture he posted has been removed, but it can still be found on other websites, like the Democratic Underground, an online community where politically liberal people can do their part to affect political and social change.

The Secret Service's Internet Threat Department is investigating the photo. It is not yet known who snapped the picture. The department takes threats against the president very seriously. Obama was visiting the valley on Wednesday.

The photo shows seven young men -- four with weapons -- holding a bullet-riddled T-shirt with the words "Obama" and "Hope" on it. They are standing in the Arizona desert.

One of the boys is reportedly a student at Peoria's Centennial High School. The others have not yet been identified, and Peoria Unified School District is trying to find out if any of them are students at the district.

It's also not clear why Shearer posted the picture. He does not appear in it.

The Peoria Police Department has a social media policy in its handbook, which also says officers can never do anything that would cause embarrassment to the city or to the police department.

Shearer is still on the job and is under an administrative investigation for possible police violations. Peoria Police have not said what, if any, disciplinary actions he could suffer.

Online:
www.democraticunderground.com
www.ci.peoria.il.us/policedepartment

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