After reading three statements accusing chief Danny Macagni of using of racial slurs in the course of his duty, I consider him unqualified to be the chief of police wearing four stars on his lapel. With this bias against the chief, can I be fair in questioning the chief’s statements in Officer Covarrubias’s tragic death? I struggled with this conflict and therefore leave the readers to be the judge of my critiques.
A police officer was shot and killed by a fellow officer, who happened to be his best friend. This unimaginable, tragic event was triggered by an alleged consensual relationship with a 17-year-old girl.
Chief Macagni’s statements related to Officer Covarrubias’s tragic death to the media are creating more questions than answers.
Quoting the chief from a Santa Maria Times article: “Exactly where he was shot, I don’t have that information. But he was not shot in the head. I will confirm that.”
The cause of death is usually withheld until an autopsy is completed, so what is the chief’s purpose in this insensitive and premature statement?
Another quote from the chief: the shooting happened “because Officer Covarrubias stepped over the line and made a conscious decision that he did not want to go to prison and pulled a weapon and fired it. No other reason.”
Without a full investigation, what is his source to make such a definitive judgment implying guilt? What has happened to “innocent until proven guilty” in our democracy?
In this article, the chief stated there are attorneys standing in line waiting to defend him to the bitter end. As it related to this tragedy, against what charges are the attorneys prepared to defend the chief to the bitter end?
A public hearing is in order to allow the chief to clarify his statements that may have been reported out of context, and the public should be allowed to present their concerns, which would be helpful in reducing speculation and division within our community.
The mayor should also request that the state attorney general investigate this tragedy to remove any appearance of a cover-up.
Transparency in our government deserves the highest priority.
This article appears in Mar 1-8, 2012.