Massachusetts State Police officer Sgt. Sean Murphy has released bloody photos of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s arrest in protest of the Rolling Stone cover. He has since been relieved of duty:
HUFFINGTON POST – The Massachusetts State Police officer who released photos of Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has reportedly been relieved of duty, but not been fired.
Boston Magazine editor John Wolfson tweeted that tactical photographer Sgt. Sean Murphy, who gave photos to Boston Magazine on Thursday, has been relieved of duty, but not yet fired, and has been ordered not to speak to media about the Watertown events.
Murphy confirmed to CNN’s Anne Clifford Thursday night “that he is on leave and has a hearing next week. Earlier Thursday, a police spokesman said the agency had not authorized the release of photos Murphy took.”
So why did he release them in the first place?
Upon releasing the photos to Boston Magazine, Murphy expressed his frustrations with Rolling Stone’s controversial depiction of Tsarnaev on their magazine cover, stating:
As a professional law-enforcement officer of 25 years, I believe that the image that was portrayed by Rolling Stone magazine was an insult to any person who has every worn a uniform of any color or any police organization or military branch, and the family members who have ever lost a loved one serving in the line of duty.
Here’s CNN’s report on the bloody photos being released yesterday:
And here are the actual photos (click to see them larger):
