A police officer in Omaha, Neb., has been put on paid leave for comments he made during a weekly public-access cable show he hosts, AP reports.
Officer Tariq Al-Amin was discussing the recent shooting death of Sgt. Jason Pratt during the Sept. 23 airing of Protecting the Village
.
During the show, he criticized the Rev. William Barlowe for offering a donation to the Pratt family on behalf of the children of Pratt's alleged killer, Albert Rucker. Police said Rucker shot Pratt soon after a traffic stop Sept. 11. Rucker was shot and killed by another officer.
Al-Amin held up an open straight razor and said, "To me, this would be my gift to the Rucker children. When you get old enough, come get it and go cut Barlowe's throat for doing something like that in your name."
The officer has said that he did not intend for his comments to be taken literally.
