Florida sheriff decries hanging mannequin in police uniform
Posted June 20, 2020 2:32 pm.
Last Updated June 20, 2020 2:38 pm.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Motorists saw a startling scene Saturday morning as they drove along a Florida interstate: A body dressed in a police uniform dangling from a rope at an overpass.
Emergency crews in Jacksonville, Florida, were dispatched shortly after 6:20 a.m. to investigate a possible suicide.
But when they got there, they discovered a mannequin hanging from an Interstate 95 overpass wearing a pig mask and dressed in what appeared to be a New York City police uniform.
Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams didn’t look kindly on the prank.
“The incident that occurred this morning depicting the mock lynching of a mannequin dressed in what appeared to be the uniform of a law enforcement officer is extremely disturbing,” Williams said in a statement posted on Twitter
He called it an attempt to stoke ”an anti-police sentiment and drive a divide in our community,” he said.
The mannequin was removed and authorities launched an investigation.
“This type of act will not be tolerated by our agency or our community, and we will work together to hold those responsible accountable,” Williams said.
The death of George Floyd in Minnesota has spawned protests across the country and put focus on police brutality against Blacks.
The Associated Press
