Although Michael Brown was killed by a police officer in Ferguson, MO, the Los Angeles Police Department is now investigating a situation pertaining to his controversial death after TMZ released a horrifying video taken at a former cop’s party.
TMZ uploaded some extremely troubling footage of a man (allegedly private investigator Gary Fishell) singing a parody version of Jim Croce’s 1973 hit “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown” with the lyrics changed to mock Brown’s death.
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The Michael Brown parody song (it’s tragic that phrase has cause to exist) was performed at a charity dinner organized by a retired L.A. police officer. TMZ alleges several active LAPD officers were present at the event and didn’t speak up to stop the song.
Shortly after TMZ released the footage, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck tweeted they were investigating the situation: “I am aware of the video released via TMZ. Like many of you, I find it offensive & absurd. It does not reflect the values of the #LAPD. I have directed our Professional Standards Bureau to look into this & determine if any active department employees were involved.”
Any officers who were present could potentially face disciplinary action for “conduct unbecoming of a police officer.”
The lyrics to the disgusting parody song (courtesy Gawker) are below.
“Michael Brown learned a lesson about a messin’ with a badass policeman / And he’s bad, bad Michael Brown, baddest thug in the whole damn town / Badder than old King Kong, meaner than a junkyard dog / Two men took to fightin’, and Michael punched in through the door / And Michael looked like some old Swiss cheese, his brain was splattered on the floor / And he’s dead, dead Michael Brown, deadest man in the whole damn town.”
Following the release of the footage, an attorney for Fishell reached out to TMZ with an apology: “Fishell now realizes the song was off color and in poor taste. He’s a goofball who writes funny songs.”
The apology would probably work better without the “funny songs” part.