As the tumult over the Boulder elk shooting episode continues, details have emerged casting the Boulder police officers involved in an even worse light.
The Daily Camera has reported that the off-duty officer accused of picking up the dead elk was off-duty because he had called in sick that day.
Apparently, Boulder police Officer Brent Curnow wasn’t too sick to drive on over to pick up the elk carcass. It also appears Curnow runs a web site that advertises “quality taxidermy at an affordable price.”
Another Boulder police officer — one who was officially working that night — is accused of having shot a large elk last week in a Boulder neighborhood known as Mapleton Hill. The officer reportedly characterized the elk’s behavior as aggressive. There also are reports he said the elk was injured.
But when asked, the Boulder Police Department first initially denied that one of its officers had shot and killed the animal. Then, the PD said the animal actually was killed by police.
Curnow and Sam Carter, the apparent trigger man in the elk shooting, are under investigation by the state’s Parks and Wildlife division and criminal charges are possible. The two also face an internal investigation from the Boulder Police Department.
In addition, Carter is said to have contacted a third law enforcement officer — from the Boulder Sheriff’s Office — by texting the deputy’s private cellphone. The purpose of the text was to ask for help in loading the dead elk. Why not use official channels to ask for help?
This incident keeps getting more curious. And given the attention the episode is getting — an elk vigil attended by 200 people and social media sites set up to commemorate the animal and the incident — the pressure is growing for answers to the many questions that remain.
