VILLA RICA, Ga. – A Georgia police department is under investigation after using an image of a Black man as a target during a firearms safety class for civilians, and posting photos of it on social media.
The police department in Villa Rica, about 33 miles west of Atlanta, held the event on Saturday and posted on its Facebook page photos of participants aiming their guns at targets that featured a life-sized photo of a Black man. The man on the targets is pointing a gun and wearing a beanie.
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The photos have since been taken down from the Facebook page but screenshots have been widely shared and criticized on social media.
The Villa Rica Police Department responded to the backlash in a Facebook post on Wednesday, 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.”
Read the full report from NBC News.