DPD Mounted Patrol horse put down; internal affairs investigation opened

DENVER – The Denver Police Department has opened an internal affairs investigation after one of its Mounted Patrol Unit horses had to be put down Wednesday morning after being left tied up in a stall.

The horse, named “MC Hammer,” was taken to a veterinarian Tuesday with symptoms of colic, a gastrointestinal condition caused by a buildup of gas or an obstruction within a horse’s intestines.

DPD says the 10-year-old horse was left tied in a stall after being on-duty Monday afternoon. The decision was made to put MC Hammer down Wednesday morning.

The horse had been with the department since last November.

DPD says the internal affairs investigation will work to find if there was negligence that led to the horse being put down.

The department said it could not release further information because the investigation remains ongoing.