Boulder police Officer Sam Carter poses with the elk that was shot late Tuesday night at Ninth and Mapleton in Boulder. (Photo courtesy Lara Koenig)
The evidence sure is damning.
Boulder District Attorney Stan Garnett on Friday announced the two Boulder police officers implicated in the shooting of a large bull elk in a city neighborhood would face a multitude of charges.
Of course, they are innocent until proven guilty. Yet, the text messages released by authorities in this case show what appears to be an astonishing level of premeditation in hunting down and killing the elk.
Hours before officer Sam Carter shot the elk, he texted an off-duty officer about the elk he had spotted. “You should have killed it,” texted off-duty officer Brent Curnow. “Oh he’s dead tonight,” Carter replied.
Elkgate, as some call it, has resulted in a lot of outrage in Boulder, where there has been a silent walk and a candlelight vigil for the dead elk.
Whatever you may think about a dead elk with a Facebook page, serious questions have been raised about the officers’ conduct and truthfulness.
The text message exchanges among the two officers charged, and a third, a deputy, make it sound as if these guys were hunters going after a kill rather than law enforcement officers protecting a community.
In addition, Carter did not inform dispatch about having killed the animal or discharging his firearm.
Garnett, the DA, was right to proceed, based on the evidence released thus far. It’s a safe bet we’ll be hearing more about this case.