Stillwater corrections officer on leave after wife seen yelling slur at protestors
An officer with the Minnesota Correctional Facility-Stillwater and his wife were involved in a confrontation with protesters this weekend in which his wife is heard on video shouting a racial slur at protestors. The officer has been put on leave duri
(FOX 9) - A corrections officer at a Stillwater prison has been placed on investigative leave after a video circulating on social media appeared to show his wife yelling a racial slur at protesters in Stillwater, Minnesota Sunday.
According to Minnesota Department of Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell, Sgt. Paul Gorder was the man in the video. He is an officer at MCF-Stillwater.
The video appears to show Gorder and his wife in a confrontation with protesters who gathered outside the Stillwater home of Washington County Attorney Pete Orput. The demonstrators were demanding further charges against a police officer who shot and killed Daunte Wright in Brooklyn Center earlier this month.
In the video, the woman is heard and seen yelling, "Get out of here. All of you f***ing n***ers get out of here."
WARNING: This video contains harsh and offensive language.
"The actions of the employee are deeply disturbing and contrary to the mission and values of the Department of Corrections," said Schnell in a statement. "At a time when we are focused on growing trust in law enforcement and the broader criminal justice system, the conduct and comments by the DOC sergeant and his wife to the group of mostly African American peaceful protestors are troubling."
Schnell says off-duty corrections officers are expected to uphold "the values of the agency," as it focuses on "promoting racial equity and reducing racial disparities in the state’s correctional system."
The Office of Professional Accountability are investigating the incident.
"To the people subjected to the comments by the staff member and his wife in the video, I offer my personal apology," Schnell added.