SAPD: Officer yelled 'F--- you, f----t' during confrontation at Travis Park statue removal



Click ahead to view photos of protesters squaring off in Travis Park over the controversial statue. less A San Antonio police officer allegedly said "F--- you, f----t" to a man during a confrontation at the Travis Park Confederate statue removal in September. The officer was suspended without pay for three day. A San Antonio police officer allegedly said "F--- you, f----t" to a man during a confrontation at the Travis Park Confederate statue removal in September. The officer was suspended without pay for three ... more Photo: B. Kay Richter, For MySA Photo: B. Kay Richter, For MySA Image 1 of / 77 Caption Close SAPD: Officer yelled 'F--- you, f----t' during confrontation at Travis Park statue removal 1 / 77 Back to Gallery

A San Antonio police officer was suspended for three days without pay after he allegedly used a homophobic slur against a man during a confrontation at the Travis Park Confederate statue removal in September.

The officer, Jack E. Harper III, was working crowd control at the event when he got into an argument with 34-year-old Brian Dillard, according to a suspension report obtained by mySA.com. The report says Dillard approached Harper in an "antagonistic manner," and Harper ultimately responded by saying "F--- you, f----t" to him.

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The suspension began Nov. 7 and ended on Nov. 9.

Dillard, a resident of San Antonio's East Side who is active in city government, tells the story slightly differently. He said he was at the removal with some friends and noticed a gaggle of police officers standing slightly to the side.

"I went up to them and told them these are times when young black guys are standing next to you, you should engage them," he said. "It's an opportunity to build better relationships."

The officers blew him off, he said. He offered them his hand as a sign of good will, but again, the officers ignored him.

"And you wonder why people say 'F--- the police,'" he told them and then rode off on his bicycle.

He made his way to an area near the Tobin Center, where a police cruiser tailed him for a short time and then drove off. He came to a stop in front of the center, and at that time, an officer in an unmarked car, now identified as Harper, approached him and began yelling, Dillard said.

"What the f--- do you think you're doing, you f---ing f----t?" he said, according to Dillard.

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Dillard noticed Harper was wearing a body camera, so he memorized his name and badge number and took off. When he got home, he texted Police Chief William McManus, with whom he has a long-standing relationship, about the incident.

"That just put a real bad taste in my mouth," he said.

Within a few weeks, Harper was handed his suspension report, which he did not contest. Dillard, who has previously worked with police associations tasked with community engagement, said he thought the three-day suspension was an appropriate punishment, but he hopes the officer receives some additional training as well.

"Look, I'm not asking them to hug me. Those are great times to bridge the gap," he said of his encounter with the police at Travis Park. "We don't really have an issue between police and the community here in San Antonio, but we should try to be proactive to make sure we don't have one."

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Caleb Downs is a crime reporter for mySA.com. Read more of his stories here.| cdowns@mysa.com | Twitter: @calebjdowns