PHOENIX — The Phoenix Police Department is investigating whether one of its officers involved in a controversial shooting case posted a series of crying-laughing face emojis under a social media story about the case.
The department confirmed it is investigating whether an Instagram account belongs to Officer Anthony DeSanto and whether he authored the post.
“The Professional Standards Bureau is currently reviewing the information and working to determine the authenticity of the profile and identify the individual responsible for the account,” according to a written statement sent from a Phoenix spokesperson. “If the investigation confirms that the account is operated by a Phoenix Police Department employee, PSB will then determine what potential policy violations may exist.”
It’s not yet clear if Officer DeSanto operated the Instagram account, @desanto8592, which also shows the name “Tony DeSanto” on the profile page.
Through multiple sources, ABC15 confirmed the profile’s photo, which shows a man firing a shotgun at a shooting range, was taken at the Phoenix Regional Police Academy.
When asked by a reporter to specifically ask Officer DeSanto if he operated the account, a spokesperson said, “the question regarding whether the Instagram account belongs to Officer DeSanto will be addressed as part of that investigation.”
The comment was posted under an Instagram post about ABC15’s “A Shot in the Dark” investigation, which focuses on the shooting and prosecution involving Dr. Kris Johnson, who is set to face trial in the coming months.
To learn more about Johnson’s case and the chaotic chain of events leading to his arrest, ABC15’s three-part investigation can be found here.
Officer DeSanto was one of two officers who fired shots at Johnson during a shooting that was sparked after the doctor fired a warning shot into the air to scare off a prowler without knowing officers were in the area.
Johnson, who was shot in the leg from behind by a different officer, was charged with a handful of felonies, and DeSanto is officially listed as one of the victims.
If the Instagram account and post are confirmed to be linked to DeSanto, it would almost certainly be used as impeachment material at trial during cross-examination, according to defense attorneys interviewed by ABC15.
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“Oh, I think absolutely (it could have an impact,” said Derek Debus, a firearms and veterans attorney, who was formerly a Maricopa County prosecutor.
He added, “The jury is going to consider the fact that this that this officer is so biased about this incident that he's making jokes about it when they're considering whether or not a conviction is reasonable under the circumstances. And lastly, it shows just a complete level of disrespect for the court process and the seriousness of this case.”
Officer DeSanto could not be reached for comment.
Shortly after ABC15 replied to the comment of cry-laughing face emojis by asking if the commenter had anything to add, the account was either deactivated or deleted.
ABC15 also discovered the same account had also posted on some of the station’s other Instagram posts, including a story about whether Phoenix police have an issue with body cameras falling off too often.
Whoever posted under @desanto8592 got into a back-and-forth with commenters and challenged one of them to a fight. The post stated, in part, “… lol how about this wear a body camera and fight me and we will see if it stays on.”
Phoenix told ABC15 that the post is also under investigation.
“We want our police officers to be professional, even keeled, you know, arbiters of, you know, law enforcement and to go out there, hunt down news articles and make jokes about that in a public forum,” Debus said. “Just not only displays an immaturity, but just bad judgment that we don't want to see in our police officers.”
Contact ABC15 Chief Investigator Dave Biscobing at Dave@ABC15.com.
