Details are coming to light, concerning the conduct of two off-duty Minneapolis police officers in Green Bay. The two men, both white and one a former Green Bay officer, allegedly threw the first punch during an altercation involving a group of black men on June 29th. They apparently expected preferential treatment from Green Bay police and used racial slurs to describe the incident.
The Star Tribune reports that sources have identified the two as Brian Thole and Shawn Powell. Both are on paid suspension while an Internal Affairs investigation is conducted.
According to a report released by Green Bay police, Thole or Powell punched a man in the face, in the confrontation with the group of 8-9 black men shortly after 1:00 a.m. in downtown Green Bay. Several Green Bay officers responded. The Minneapolis men complained that the local officers weren’t doing enough to find the men involved in the confrontation.
An hour later, Thole and Powell showed up at the Green Bay police station to complain. They said they were the victims and voiced dissatisfaction with the treatment they’d recieved, according to the report. Green Bay Police Lieutenant Steve Mahoney, the shift commander, told the Minneapolis officers that if anyone was going to get charged, it would be them for disorderly conduct. Thole and Powell left and returned to their hotel.