World News | Deputy Mayor Charged in Case of Offensive George Floyd Post
Get latest articles and stories on World at LatestLY. The deputy mayor of a Maine city has resigned and was charged with filing a false report after he said someone hacked his social media account to make racist statements about the George Floyd killing.
Brewer (US), Jun 4 (AP) The deputy mayor of a Maine city has resigned and was charged with filing a false report after he said someone hacked his social media account to make racist statements about the George Floyd killing.
Brewer police said Thomas Morelli was charged in relation to the incident, the Bangor Daily News reported on Wednesday. Morelli issued a statement in which he said he is “ashamed of my comments and behavior” and acknowledged his participation in “Facebook trolling.”
Morelli had told police on Monday that someone had gained access to his Facebook account to post racist comments about Floyd, a handcuffed black man who died after a Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee into his neck for several minutes even after Floyd stopped moving and pleading for air.
An investigation determined that Morelli made the comments, police said.
Police have not disclosed the nature of Morelli's comments beyond that they were about Floyd. It was unclear on Wednesday if he had hired an attorney.
Brewer police said Morelli was issued a summons and is due in court on July 15. (AP)
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)