According to WWL, a New Orleans police sergeant has been suspended and stripped of authority amid an investigation into a series of posts he made on social media.
Sgt. Anthony Edenfield, who worked in the city's homicide unit, allegedly posted a number of inflammatory comments. On one occasion, an account reported to be his linked to footage of looters in San Jose, California, with the caption "SAVAGES!!!! ANIMALS!!!!" On another, the account posted below an article about a St. Louis protester fatally run over by a FedEx truck, writing, "I am running them over, and shooting if lethal force were my only way out. The a**hole under the truck got what he deserved."
On yet another occasion, when New York Times Magazine writer Nikole Hannah-Jones — who goes by "Ida Bae Wells" on Twitter — wrote, "destroying property, which can be replaced, is not violence," Edenfield allegedly responded, "Burn down her house. Blow up her car and see if she still feels the same way."
"Edenfield has featured prominently in several NOPD public relations campaigns, including one on car break-ins in 2017," said the report. "His alleged social media comments were posted as the U.S. wrestles with allegations of systemic racism in law enforcement forces across the country. Protests against police violence in several cities have led to violence against protesters as well as looting and vandalism."
Watch the report below:
