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Activist Shaun King says former officers wrote death threats against him, investigation underway

The civil rights activist posted screenshots of the death threats because he feared for his and his family's safety.
Credit: AP Images for The Justice Roundtable
Left to right, Shaun King, Dominic DuPont and Michael K. Williams participate in a panel discussion at Vote For Justice: An Evening of Empowerment with activists and artists at the Newseum on Wednesday, May 9, 2018, in Washington.

LONG BEACH, Calif — An investigation is underway after three former Long Beach Police Department officers allegedly posted threatening messages against activist Shaun King on a private Facebook group for California Law Enforcement Officers.

King, a civil rights activist and co-founder of Real Justice PAC, released a statement on Medium Thursday claiming members of a private Facebook group were "openly plotting and planning my assassination."

His statement included screenshots of the threats, which included "Toss this guy from a helicopter," "Need a sniper" and "Shaun King needs to be put down."

King claims the threats started after one retired Long Beach Police Officer allegedly wrote, "The man who put this tweet out today is a FOUNDING MEMBER OF BLM, he also introduced Bernie Sanders at his attempted presidential run. I think (California) needs to start putting a team together of retired military, police and NRA MEMBERS! We have no protection. These criminals that the Democrats created need to be stopped."

The Long Beach Police Department posted a statement on its Facebook page and said it was aware of the "incredibly disturbing social media messages." The department stressed that no current officers on the force were listed in King's report.

"The Long Beach Police Department is appalled and deeply disturbed by the tone and content of the posts which in no way reflect the core values and professional standards held by the men and women in our organization," the police department statement said. "We are 100% committed to working in partnership with our community to ensure that all people are treated with respect and professionalism and will not tolerate any bias, racism, or threats to individuals."

The department said the information has already been submitted to the Long Beach Police Department investigation bureau for further review and recommendations regarding a criminal investigation. The department has also requested assistance from the FBI about the matter.

King said that the thread of threats has grown over the past few days.

"We thought this was an isolated incident, but since this, we’ve seen deaths threats against me spread all over the country in other private groups, on dozens of public pages, on conservative blogs, and more," King said in his a statement.

He added that because of his lack of confidence in any law enforcement system, he felt he needed to release the threats publicly for his and his family's safety.

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