A video of a former Pasco Sheriff’s Office Detention Deputy Katy Anello has surfaced on Twitter Sunday night.
In the video, Anello said, “So lets just fucking hope that there’s no more riots because I promise you, If my life is at risk or I feel I’m at danger, you’re fucking dead.”
“Now go ahead and put that on the fucking news and fucking cry about it, everyone ‘Oh, this person’s life matters’...shut the fuck up. Shut up. Who gives a fuck,” she continued.
The less-than-one-minute video, which is a screen recording of Snapchat, shows Anello in a car talking about the current demonstrations against police brutality and in memory of George Floyd. The reposted video drew criticism from hundreds, who shared and commented.
Soon her former employer, Pasco Sheriff’s Office became aware of the situation. Amanda Hunter, the Lead Public Information Officer for Pasco Sheriff’s Office wrote, “The content of the video is reprehensible and clearly violates our General Orders and policies.”
i swear spring hill racists are constantly on one pic.twitter.com/NKV0CIYrAH
— hunt 🌿 (@hunterarohm) June 1, 2020
Anello worked as a detention deputy from March 11, 2019, to May 31 of the same year and resigned in her probationary period, according to Hunter.
People outraged about the video posted her parents’ Facebook accounts, along with the phone number of her current employer, a Beef ‘O’ Brady’s in Spring Hill, in the comment section of the video. “I’m tryna get her fired,” one commenter wrote on Facebook.
Chief Marketing Officer for Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Heather Boggs wrote in an email Tuesday that “Katy is no longer employed with us and that is all I can comment on.”
Hunter Rohm, 21, took the initial screen recording of Anello’s Snapchat and posted it on Twitter Sunday night, she said in an email.
Rohm wrote in an email that she initially posted the video because “thinking this way is extremely dangerous,” she wrote. “Showing blatant disregard for black lives is a threat to the safety of any black person she encounters.”
Screenshots of an alleged apology from Anello surfaced on Facebook and Twitter, as well.
“My video was not intended for racism, it was intended to stop the violence that is happening,” it said. “Everyone’s life matters.”
The reaction from Pasco Sheriff’s Office is in stark contrast to comments made by Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, who publicly told residents to shoot looters earlier this week. I’m highly recommending they blow you back out of their house with their guns.
"I would tell them if you value your life, you probably shouldn’t do that in Polk County, because the people of Polk County like guns, they have guns, and I encourage them to own guns, and they’re going to be in their homes tonight with their guns loaded," said Judd. "And if you try to break into their homes, to steal, to set fires, I’m highly recommending they blow you back out of their house with their guns. So leave the community alone, and we’ll do our best to support the community."
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