Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police President John McNesby called Black Lives Matter activists "a pack of rabid animals" after the group protested outside the house of Officer Ryan Pownall.

The officer is at the center of the police involved shooting of David Jones who ran away from Pownall in June. This is the second time Pownall has shot a man in the back, according to HuffPost. The first was in 2010. Victim Carnell Williams-Carney told Philly.com, "That was the day I took my last steps on my own. I’ve been in a chair ever since.”

During a press conference in response to the BLM protest on Thursday, Aug. 31, McNesby criticized local activists who wanted justice for Jones' shooting.

"When you go to work each day, you shouldn't have to worry that a pack of rabid animals will suddenly show up at your home and openly threaten your family," he told the gathered crowd of a couple hundred people, according to WHYY.

“These are not activists, they are racist hate groups determined to instigate violence.”

Activists called his statements ridiculous. Asa Khalif, an activist with BLM Philadelphia, said that they will not be silenced in their pursuit of justice.

“We will not let words stop us,” Khalif told NBC Philadelphia. “The only words we’re using is justice for David Jones, and we will not be sidetracked by the bullying tactics of the FOP.”

Last year, McNesby defended Officer Ian Hans Lichtermann who appeared on social media with the official insignia of Adolph Hitler’s Nazi Party on the left forearm: an eagle with outstretched wings with the word “Fatherland” on top.

“I’ve seen [the tattoo photo]. It’s an Eagle. Not a big deal,” he told Philly.com by text at the time. Lichtermann was cleared of any wrongdoing.

Philly Police Union President

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