FLOMATON, Ala. — An Alabama police captain is under investigation after multiple complaints about a Facebook post in which he wrote that Joe Biden voters should be killed for treason.
The Flomaton police officer, identified by ABC 33/40 in Birmingham as Capt. Scott Walden, made the inflammatory comment in a thread about people who have voted for the former vice president over President Donald Trump.
According to the news station, the initial post read, “The idiots that voted for Biden hated Trump enough to throw the country away. Thank the lying liberals and Democrats news media.”
Walden responded by saying, “They need to line ev1 of them and put a bullet in their skull for treason.”
Screenshots of the exchange were making the rounds on Facebook Thursday afternoon.
Chief Charles Thompson issued a statement late Thursday morning saying that Walden’s comment is under investigation. The chief said the department had received numerous phone calls and emails, as well as comments on its social media platforms.
“Due to today’s high call volume of complaints, callback has been extremely hard to conduct,” Thompson said. “I plan to contact all callers back.”
Walden appeared to double down on his comment on his own Facebook page, where he accused people of “jumping on the ‘gonna get them fired’ train.” He argued that he was referring not to Democrats or liberals but to people charged with treason.
“Well, (No.) 1, I don’t care who you vote for, (No.) 2, the comment was about treason and what should happen to the ones who are charged for committing treason,” Walden wrote. "So either you trying to stir the pot or you are OK with someone committing treason but not OK with someone who says they should be shot.
“This is the world we live in.”
Several of Walden’s friends jumped to his defense and his wife, Tara Walden, argued that “it will only get worse.”
“It will be like the days of Hitler,” she wrote. “(You) will be censored on every word you utter.”
Thompson said in his statement that his department holds officers' conduct to the highest standards and will continue to do so.
“The Flomaton Police Department treasures the community’s trust, and this is achieved through transparency regarding public information,” the statement said.
Cox Media Group
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