VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) - Authorities in a Virginia city are investigating a potentially racist comment that a detective posted on his Facebook page.
The Virginian-Pilot reported Tuesday that the statements could affect cases he’s involved in. Virginia Beach police spokeswoman Linda Kuehn said the internal affairs department is investigating his Facebook posts.
Detective Kevin Fanelli had responded to a Facebook comment on an article about women trashing a restaurant over the service.
Fanelli wrote: “Of course they were black. Does me knowing this before I read the article indicate a problem with them or me? Them.” He later apologized.
The statement became an issue in a teen’s murder case. The teen is black; the detective is white.
The teen’s lawyer said the post showed racial bias. A judge disagreed, pointing to the evidence.
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Information from: The Virginian-Pilot, http://pilotonline.com
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