VICE News is closely watching policing in America. Check out the Officer Involved blog here.The LAPD has launched an internal investigation over an incident in which a song mocking dead Ferguson teen Mike Brown was sung at a retired officer's party. The song, which parodied "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" by Jim Croce, included the lyrics, "Two men took to fightin' and Michael punched in through the door, and Michael looked like some old Swiss cheese, his brain was splattered on the floor."TMZ first broke the story Tuesday, reporting that former federal law enforcement officer Gary Fishell performed the song at a dinner following a charity golf tournament hosted by retired LAPD cop Joe Myers. TMZ obtained grainy video of the performance.Fishell's lawyer told TMZ that the retired officer, "thought the room would get a kick out of it."The LAPD investigation will seek to determine if current cops from the department were in the audience of 50 to 60 people. TMZ reported that some active law enforcement officers were in attendance, but their departmental affiliation remains unclear. If LAPD cops were found to be present, Internal Affairs will determine whether disciplinary action should be taken for "conduct unbecoming of a police officer."Other lines in the song were steeped with racist allusions to the teen, shot dead by Officer Darren Wilson. Fishell compared Brown to King Kong, and sang, "he's dead, dead Michael Brown, deadest man in the whole damn town, his whole life's long gone, deader than a roadkill dog."Watch the video obtained by TMZ below:
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