Pig’s head thrown at former home of ex-cop witness for Chauvin defense
Police say a home where Barry Brodd used to live was defaced by suspects who also targeted a statue.
Police in Santa Rosa, California are reporting that a home where Barry Brodd used to live was vandalized with a pig’s head and blood.
Brodd is a former police officer who testified for the defense last week in the Derek Chauvin trial for murdering George Floyd in Minneapolis.
“Mr. Brodd has not lived at the residence for a number of years and is no longer a resident of California,” the department said. “Because Mr. Brodd no longer lives in the city of Santa Rosa, it appears the victim was falsely targeted.”
Police are reporting that the current homeowner found the pig’s head on the porch and called 911. Suspects were seen fleeing, dressed in all black, and they’re under investigation for another vandalism incident where a statue at a local mall was found drenched in animal blood.
Brodd was previously an officer in the Santa Rosa Police Department, and the chief of that department has distanced Brodd from his city and its current cops. Chief Rainer Navarro released a statement following his testimony last week saying that his comments on the stand “do not reflect the values and beliefs of the Santa Rosa Police Department.”
“It’s easy to sit and judge … an officer’s conduct,” Brodd testified for Chauvin’s defense. “It’s more of a challenge to, again, put yourself in the officer’s shoes to try to make an evaluation through what they’re feeling, what they’re sensing, the fear they have, and then make a determination.”
Read More: Diddy tributes former Bad Boy artist Black Rob after death: ‘One of a kind’
At one point in his testimony, he asserted of George Floyd’s under-the-knee encounter with Chauvin: “That isn’t an incident of deadly force. That’s an incident of an accidental death.”
Brodd also added: “I felt that Officer Chauvin’s interactions with Mr. Floyd were following his training, following current practices in policing, and were objectively reasonable.”
Read More: Chicago Mayor Lightfoot slams rumors of resigning as ‘racist’ and ‘homophobic’
A verdict in the Chauvin trial is expected this week.
Yesterday, on ABC’s This Week, Floyd family attorney Benjamin Crump said, “The outcome that we pray for and Derek Chauvin is for him to be held criminally liable for killing George Floyd because we believe that could be a precedent. Finally making America live up to its promise of liberty and justice for all. That means all of us — Black people, Hispanic people, Native people — all of us.”
Have you subscribed to theGrio’s “Dear Culture” podcast? Download our newest episodes now!
TheGrio is now on Apple TV, Amazon Fire and Roku. Download theGrio.com today!
