Joke press release sparks human rights complaint
A police department in Canada mistakenly sent the media a fake press release about a murder investigation involving the ‘Fresh Mouth Killer.’ The victim’s family claimed it was racist and filed a human rights complaint. Wait until you read the cops’ reaction.
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Cops in this town are investigating the murder of Adam Yellowhead, who was found slain in an area where people known to get drunk on mouthwash gather.
Amid the investigation, a detective wrote a fake press release on Sept. 1 intended for his colleagues, but he mistakenly sent it to reporters. The subject line read: “Fresh Mouth Killer Captured!!” According to the Toronto Star, the “half-written email … included a misspelled joke about ‘Scope'” (spelled “Scpoe”).
It referenced the slaying of Yellowhead and reportedly contained racist overtones.
Seconds after the release went out, police sent a follow-up retracting it.
“It’s obviously a very unfortunate situation that doesn’t bode well for us, and certainly our apologies [go] to the victim,” Police Chief J.P. Levesque told CBC on Sept. 4.
The victim’s family, as well as members of Yellowhead’s Nishnawbe Aski Nation tribe, were understandably upset, and they lodged a complaint with the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal.
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