The U.S. Naval Academy has launched an investigation into tweets allegedly made by a midshipman in the wake of protests over the police custody death of George Floyd in Minnesota. The posts were allegedly made on a since-deleted Twitter account identified as belonging to Chase Standage, a Midshipman 1st Class from California. Screenshots posted online appear to show one tweet allegedly about a police officer firing tear gas at an unarmed protester demonstrating after the death of Floyd, and another post allegedly commented on a black woman’s fatal shooting by police in Kentucky.
The tweets surfaced on the same day academy Superintendent Vice Adm. Sean Buck posted a video message condemning separate racial remarks made earlier this month by a retired captain and former Naval Academy trustee that disparaged admission by the academy of African Americans, Asian Americans and women. Depending on the results of the investigation, the midshipman could be disciplined under the Uniform Code of Military Justice or be dismissed from the academy.
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