DENVER — Three Denver police officers lost their job in July for joking through text messages about going to at least two migrant shelters and shooting them for target practice, according to termination letters signed by the Denver Police Department's police chief.
9NEWS Investigates obtained copies of those text messages and videos of the three officers trying to explain themselves during an internal investigation.
The now-former DPD cops participated in text message conversations in the encrypted app "Telegram" with other DPD recruits. The department became aware of the messages when an academy classmate took screenshots of the thread and contacted the department after he resigned, according to records from DPD.
On March 27, 2024, Officer Meagan Joy, one of the academy graduates, told the group chat she was planning to go shooting to practice for an upcoming firearms qualification.
"Does anyone want to tag along?" Joy wrote.
She also solicited suggestions for "good spots" to shoot.
Officer Rodrigo Basurto responded, "Talk [sic] should go to the migrant hotel on 6th and Federal and shoot them there lol plenty of targets in there."
Joy replied, "Lmao [“Rolling on the Floor, Laughing” emoji] fr fr."
The third who lost a job, Officer Scot Persichette, said to Basurto, "That’s illegal Rigo, when we doing this?"
Joy said, "Same on Hampden and Quebec." She was referring to a second shelter for migrants.
"I never expected or wanted it to be anything more than a couple laughs," said Basurto during an internal investigation interview. "Sorry that I said that. I'm remorseful and shamed about it."
Basurto is the one who said the newcomer hotel had plenty of targets.
"I come from a military background," Basurto said during the interview. "We deal with our stress and our, you know, stressful situations and we cope by dark humor."
At one point during the interview, Basurto said he's Hispanic and became a U.S. citizen two years ago.
"I know what [the migrants] are going through and the struggles they are going through," Basurto said.
The city blurred the faces of the officers as an investigator asked them questions about the text thread, but 9NEWS talked to Basurto the year before.
He was a recruit who participated in a program to expose new officers to Denver's diverse community.
During his internal affairs interview in July 2024, he tried to keep his job.
"Not sure if there's anything else that I can do," he said. "You know, I'm willing to take classes or watch videos, you know, to do whatever it takes."
Two weeks after these interviews, the department fired them. That included Persichette, who told a classmate in the message thread, "don't be a snitch."
He was replying to a message from someone who warned about this getting "in the hands of the public, admin or anything else."
"I've talked to Rigo about it and Meagan," Persichette told the investigator. "We were just expressing frustration with it, that we were just kidding. I hope nothing happens from this from a silly joke, essentially."
Joy told the investigator she was also willing to do additional training to keep her job.
"I apologize," Joy said. "I learned my lesson and I am embarrassed by it and learned from it. We are still learning, too."
Several officers left the group chat after these messages were shared.
The department said the three officers were still in the probationary phase of employment following their graduation from the Denver Police Academy. They were terminated as of July 22.
"The Denver Police Department is appalled by the subject of the messages, which are contradictory to the mission and values of the Department, and disrespect not only newcomers and our community, but also every other officer working to keep everyone in our community safe. Additional Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity training and Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement (ABLE) training will be provided to the other officers on that group chat," a DPD spokesperson wrote to 9NEWS in a statement shared in early August.