CARELESS COP CAVALIERLY GUNS DOWN CURIOUS KID
DATELINE - CAPITAL CITY
In what's become an all too common occurrence within our city environs lately, the Capital City Police Department engaged in a pitched gun battle with suspected bootleggers last night, throwing caution to the wind and leading to the tragic death of 9-year-old Charles "Chuckie" Peabody.
During what was described as a "routine" raid by Superintendent William Buttons, the lead detective on the case, Detective Charles Tannehill, fired indiscriminately at what fellow officers on the raid assumed was an alleycat prior to the commencement of the raid.
"He gave no warning. He just drew his weapon and fired into the alley with no apparent cause for provocation. We all could have been killed," remarked Patrolman Liam "Whisky" O'Shaugnessy of the night's events.
"What made it worse is that he tipped off the bootleggers with his little 'William Tell' stunt," Patrolman John Sutton added. "Some little kid's dead in the gutter, and the city has nothing to show for it. Those punks got away scot-free."
Unbeknownst to Sutton at the time of publication, the two operators of the establishment targeted for the raid were found dead a few blocks away. Each had a single gunshot wound to the head. Though identification has not been confirmed, neither operator is known to be one of the major crime figures inhabiting the city. Though this is pure speculation, there are unconfirmed reports that the executions were carried out by the police department itself in a misguided attempt to frame the suspects for the child's murder and exact a "street justice" for revenge.
"Nah, it was definitely Tannehill who shot [him]," O'Shaugnessy confirmed. "Laughed about it and said 'good' when told the kid was dead, too," O'Shaugnessy added. "Guess these Golden Boy types think they can get away with anything if they have the backing of the [police] brass."
When questioned about his own reputation as a department enforcer and his current pending hearing on extortion charges, O'Shaugnessy demurred. "There are a few dark corners a policeman needs to inhabit in order to keep the city safe," O'Shaughnessy said. "Regarding the trumped-up extortion charge, my lawyer has advised me to keep quiet in case the penny-ante liar who brought the complaint finds another reason to use another innocent remark I've made out of context."
When reminded that his accuser currently has his jaw wired shut, O'Shaugnessy waived the claim away and continued. "It takes a real low-life to shoot a kid in cold blood and brag about it afterward. I guess the College Boy didn't get enough target practice growing up in Chicago and decided to live a Wild West fantasy once he moved out here."
Detective Tannehill is a native of Chicago, IL who joined the Capital City Police Department in 1913. His ascendancy through the ranks to date has been rapid. As some members of the force have speculated, this may have been due to a desire to burnish the department's image with a supposedly "honest" man, rather than based on merit. Most notably he served as department spokesman for major crimes. As is typical with many men his age, he served in the war. Though the department notes that he served "with honorable distinction," the veracity of that claim has been called into question by several sources.
Recently, as a high-profile "war hero", Tannehill has taken over the raids in the enforcement of the Volstead Act with mixed results. This latest raid is another black eye against the department's current policies of enabling politically connected personnel to lead their tactical operations without appropriate training.
Charles Peabody could often be seen parading through the neighborhood, wearing a bedsheet as a cape, and chatting up the local policemen on the beat. No question was too insignificant to ask in regard to their procedural duties and any chance he had to handle a piece of police memorabilia - a tin badge, the patrolman's cap, his manacles - resulted in a squeal of delight. "If there weren't an age barrier for entry into the department, Chuckie probably would've made sergeant by this time," his father, Richard, reminisced, a tinge of sadness in his voice.
"It breaks my heart to think that the very dream he was chasing was what killed him. His ma and I know that the city is a dangerous place, but we always expected he'd be protected if he was in the presence of the 'Boys in Blue' as he and I and liked to call the force. I guess we were wrong."
"It's a tragedy, certainly," Buttons maintained when being questioned on the next steps in the investigation. "Unfortunately, this city has faced its share of hard times and is likely to face many more before our war against the criminal under element that's done nothing but laugh in the face of law and order is won. Though Detective Tannehill acted with poor judgment, I feel that the other patrolmen on the scene may have misinterpreted the lens through which they perceived his actions."
"The department is competitive and Detective Tannehill is highly decorated. It's not out of the question to assume that jealousy plays a subconscious part when giving their statements. I have zero doubt at all that any officer on the Capital City police force behaves with anything but the pinnacle of professionalism that's expected of them."
"Rest assured that the department will spare no expense in determining the details behind this tragedy, nor in examining the vigilante justice that ensnared the two assailants whose very existence set this horrible night in motion. Detective Tannehill will have a full and fair hearing in front of his superiors. As always the Capital City Police Department is here to protect and serve its fine denizens and ensure that impartial, but swift, justice is served towards those who decide to run afoul of its laws and its law enforcers."
At the time of this posting, no hearing for Detective Tannehill has been scheduled. Unknown suspects in connection to the deaths of the unnamed assailants remain at large. Charles Peabody will be laid to rest at Our Lady of Eternal Mercy cemetery on Thursday.
- Phil Spinoza
Lead Crime Reporter
Capital City Daily Courier
[Author's Note: Sibilance sells superbly, but the headline didn't lend itself to multiple S's. This chapter comes in at 1036 words. The running total is 38655.]
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