Police in Jacksonville, Florida have launched an investigation into a "mock lynching" of a mannequin dressed in a police uniform and a pig mask found hanging underneath a highway overpass.
Police were called to the scene on 20 June to investigate a possible suicide under an interstate overpass.
“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,” said Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams in a statement.
“Both the tactics and props used were a deliberate attempt to exasperate an anti-police sentiment and drive a divide in our community.”
Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry said he will not ‘tolerate actions like this so blatantly meant to intimidate our police.”
“We are working to come together & invoke change & growth in our community,” he tweeted.
“We won’t let an appalling & disturbing act like this derail our progress.”
The mannequin was quickly removed from the scene, with authorities seeking information on the individuals responsible for the anti-police protest.
The police statement referring to the incident as a "mock lynching" has drawn criticism from some social media users, who say the term cheapens the real-life lynchings of black Americans.
Six black Americans have been found hanging from trees in four states in the United States over the past month.
Authorities have said all of those deaths appear to be suicides, .
