Georgia police department under investigation for using photo of Black man as shooting target

The Villa Ricas Police Department has since issued an apology

A police department in Georgia has come under fire after posting pictures of a firearm class in which life-sized photos of a Black man were used as the target.

The Villa Rica Police Department has announced that an investigation is underway following the incident, NBC News reports. The department posted the since-removed photos of target practice class on 17 June, sparking backlash within the community and discussions about the potential racial bias behind the choice of target.

Some residents rushed to the comment section to note that pictures of real criminals, or even a variety of staged pictures including people from different genders and ethnicities, would have been more sensitive and professional.

The department has since issued an apology, noting that it was “never [their] intention to be insensitive, inflammatory, or offensive to anyone.”

“The targets utilized in our recent firearms class depict realistic human images and were part of a package which included target images of people from various ethnic groups,” the statement read. “However, we respect the honest opinions of our fellow citizens and apologize for any offense we may have caused. We invite everyone to attend one of our next citizen firearms classes and share in a positive experience alongside us.”

In an interview with The Telegraph, Villa Rica Mayor Gil McDougal said he was embarrassed by the pictures. His office is now investigating the incident.

“I am personally embarrassed by it, and as soon as it was brought to my attention last night I and other city staff began to address this situation,” McDougal said. “This incident does not reflect the values of this community.”’

The Villa Rica Police Department posted the since-removed photos of target practice class on 17 June (Villa Rica PD)

Villa Rica resident Jackie Boyd, who is raising her biracial family in the town 30 miles west of Atlanta, said in a Facebook post that the choice of pictures was a disservice to the community and could potentially be dangerous.

“Using an image of a Black man over and over and over as a target for a gun safety class encourages and trains people to be biased, encourages stereotypes, and further divides our city,” she wrote.

Police chief Michael Mansour claimed the officer tasked with posting the pictures mistakenly only chose those who featured a Black individual (Villa Rica PD)

Police chief Michael Mansour told NBC that other departments in the state have used the pictures for training and that other life-sized targets featured pictures of Asian and white men. Chief Mansour claimed the officer tasked with posting the pictures mistakenly only chose those who featured a Black individual.

“It’s just an innocent mistake, but it was a mistake,” Chief Mansour told the network. “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.”