A New Jersey official who wrote on Facebook that a 5-year-old boy who “should have done shooting” in North Carolina has been arrested, state officials said.
Rome Smith, who works at the Cumberland County Juvenile Detention Center, wrote on Facebook Friday about the August 9 shooting that killed Cannon Hinnant when the boy was riding his bicycle outside his family’s home, displays a screenshot.
“He should duck,” Smith, 49, wrote after all. ‘You always try to escape a black person and kill innocent people by police. Blame Canon’s parents for not seeing him !!! F Y’ALL. ”
Smith’s Facebook account turned out to be dead by Wednesday. Provincial officials did not identify him by name, but confirmed the suspension and condemned the online comments as “shockingly incomplete and racist in tone,” NJ.com reports.
Darius Nathaniel Sessoms is accused of murdering 5-year-old Cannon Hinnant.
(Hinnant Family, Wilson Police Department)
“We will not tolerate social media workers sending out hateful messages,” said Cumberland County Director Derrick Joseph Derella. “This is not who we are and we aim to take advantage of the strongest action available to us.”
Smith, who is black, could not be reached for comment Wednesday. He has been enrolled in the state pension system for 26 years and currently earns $ 56,678, reports NJ.com.
Smith’s post was skewed as racist and “very disturbing” by those who saw it online, including some who suggested that others “know his workplace” about his thoughts on the fatal shooting of Cannon, who was White.
DEATH DRAWS CANNON HINNANT HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN FAMILY DONATIONS
“He is apparently racist against Caucasians,” read one post. “He laughed at a 5-year-old boy who was abused.”
The boy’s father, Austin Hinnant, told the Wilson Times Cannon was playing outside in Wilson with his sisters when he was shot. A neighbor, 25-year-old Darius Nathaniel Sessoms, who is Black, is accused of first-degree murder in the boy’s death.
Witnesses said WRAL Cannon was riding his bike when a neighbor walked up to him and shot him in the head. Police investigators last week did not release details about a possible motive, the station reported.
Hinnant, meanwhile, has denied claims that race played a factor in the shooting.
“This is not a racial issue,” Hinnant told the Wilson Times.
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Sessoms’ parents said they suspected their son had taken drugs and hallucinated during the shooting.
With post threads
This story first appeared in the New York Post.
