A Georgia police department is under investigation after photos posted to social media showed an image of a black man being used for target practice during a firearms safety class for civilians.
On Saturday, the police department in Villa Rica shared the photos from its event to Facebook of individuals firing at a life-sized image of a Black man pointing a gun and wearing a beanie.
Facebook has since removed the photos, but screenshots have been widely shared and criticized online.
Earlier this week, the Villa Rica Police Department responded to the backlash on Facebook, stating, “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.”
Michael Mansour, chief of police in Villa Rica, claimed that targets featuring Black men were utilized for training throughout the state and that white and Asian targets were also used in the class.
Mansour declined to identify the cop who inadvertently uploaded pictures of just 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 said that he was “personally embarrassed” by the photos and said that the “incident does not reflect the values of this community.”
Police departments have encountered criticism for utilizing Black people as targets previously. Last year, a Michigan police department performed a legal investigation after photos surfaced of Black men being used as targets.
