HANOVER, Va. (AP) - Authorities in Virginia are investigating a social media post that reportedly showed two white teenagers, one of whom was holding a gun, along with a message using a racial slur and threatening to “hunt” black people.
The picture was initially posted to Snapchat and sparked outrage after being shared widely by community members in Hanover County, The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported Wednesday.
Hanover County Public Schools reported the post to the sheriff’s office, but district officials could not disclose whether the teens in the photo were Hanover County students, spokesman Chris Whitley said.
“Hanover County Public Schools does not tolerate racist, vulgar, profane, or obscene language or conduct,” Whitley added said in a statement obtained by the newspaper.
The Hanover County Sheriff’s Office identified the boys in the picture but could not release their names, according to county Supervisor Faye Prichard, who called the photo “horrific.” The sheriff’s office did not say whether the boys would face charges.
The president of the local NAACP chapter told The Times-Dispatch that the post reflected a culture tolerant of racism.
“I wish I was shocked, but I wasn’t,” the newspaper quoted Patricia Hunter-Jordan as saying.
The chapter sued Hanover County and the school district in August over the names of Lee-Davis High School and Stonewall Jackson Middle School, arguing black students were forced to attend schools that venerated Confederate imagery in violation of the First and Fourteenth Amendments.
The district sought to dismiss the case, citing an expired statue of limitations, the newspaper said. A trial was set to begin this week, but was delayed indefinitely.
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