Image Credit: McNairy County Sheriff’s Office & Canva
The Tennessee Conservative Staff –
A former McNairy County police officer may no longer be able to serve in law enforcement anywhere in the state after allegedly shooting and killing seven dogs during an animal welfare check.
24-year-old Connor Brackin was scheduled to attend an informal hearing with the Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission (POST) on January 16. He was not in attendance for that meeting.
While Thursday’s hearing was informal, the POST board made the recommendation that Brackin lose his Tennessee law enforcement certification. That recommendation could be upheld in an upcoming formal hearing.
The hearing was scheduled to discuss Brackin’s response to a November 4 call to perform a welfare check on several dogs at a home in Bethel Springs. He found eight dogs on the property. One was released to the individual who made the call to police, but Brackin shot and killed the other seven.
According to McNairy County Sheriff Guy Beck, Brackin submitted his resignation immediately after the incident. He was charged with seven counts of aggravated animal cruelty and eight counts of reckless endangerment.
Apparently, this is not Brackin’s first shooting incident since becoming a police officer.
According to FOX13, Brackin was involved in three separate incidents before being hired by the McNairy County Sheriff’s Office.
WBBJ confirmed that two of those incidents happened when Brackin was employed by the Jackson Police Department, with one resulting in the death of an individual. After an internal investigation lasting more than a year, a review of both shootings showed that the shoot team found that Brackin’s “tactics, judgement, and decision making were a concern.”
It was determined that it was not in the department’s best interest to retain Brackin after his probationary period, and he resigned from the JPD in June 2024. He was hired in McNairy County shortly thereafter.
If Brackin is decertified, he could potentially still be eligible to work in law enforcement in another state.
