GA Police Agency 'Mistake' Posting Black Man's Photo As Gun Target

A Georgia police department posted photos of a firearms safety class where an image of a Black man was being used as a target, and the department is under investigation, NBC News reports. The Villa Rica Police Department posted photos of participants aiming their guns at life-sized photos of a Black man pointing a gun and wearing a beanie. The photos have been taken down from the department's Facebook page. The department responded to the backlash in a Facebook post, saying, “It was never our intention to be insensitive, inflammatory or offensive to anyone.” The department also said it respects the “honest opinions of our fellow citizens” and apologized for “any offense we may have caused.”

Villa Rica’s chief of police, Michael Mansour, said the targets with Black men are used all over the state and that other targets are used that show people who are white or Asian. The officer who posted the photos mistakenly posted photos of only the Black targets that were used. “It’s just an innocent mistake, but it was a mistake,” Mansour said. “And I’m very transparent in saying that we messed up. But at no time will I accept people telling me I’m a racist, or our department is a racist because we made a mistake.” Villa Rica Mayor Gil McDougal has launched an investigation. The NAACP of Carroll County, where Villa Rica is located, issued an open letter to the department’s chief officer, calling the target “extremely offensive.”