In response to his outrage following Rolling Stone magazine's decision to put Dzhokhar Tsarnaev on its front cover, Sergeant Sean Murphy, a Massachusetts State Police tactical photographer who was working during the massive manhunt to capture the two terror suspects, released photos of Tsarnaev's capture without permission from his agency, the Boston Globe reported.
The pictures first appeared on the website of Boston Magazine on Thursday afternoon, and other media outlets soon thereafter.
Murphy expressed anger at Rolling Stone magazine's editorial judgment and told Boston Magazine that the photos showing Tsarnaev bloodied with a police sniper's laser-projected bead on his head shows "the real Boston bomber. Not someone fluffed and buffed for he cover of Rolling Stone magazine."
The decision to glamorize Tsarnaev "was an insult to any person who has ever worn a uniform of any color or any police organization or military branch and the family members who have ever lost a loved one in the line of duty," Murphy added.
Since Murphy released the photos without the agency's consent, he reportedly has been relieved of duty for one day and will be subject for an internal investigation, the Boston Globe reported.
"His duty status will be determined at a hearing in the near future," spokesman David Procopio said.
"Today's dissemination to Boston Magazine of photographs of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and police activity related to his capture was not authorized by the Massachusetts State Police," Procopio said in a statement. "The department will not release the photographs to media outlets."
A spokeswoman for US Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz, whose staff is prosecuting Tsarnaev, said State Police have indicated they will be "taking action" in response to the leak.
While facing a wave of criticism for having Tsarnaev on its front cover, Rolling Stone representatives stated that the decision to do the cover photo of the terror suspect follows its "long-standing commitment to serious and thoughtful coverage of the most important political and cultural issues of our day."
