MARYSVILLE — Sheriff’s detectives have finished an investigation into a Lake Stevens man accused of posting a threat to kill minorities on a Marysville student’s social media page.
Marysville Police Chief Erik Scairpon announced Friday that detectives have forwarded the case to the Snohomish County prosecutor, recommending that the man, 20, be charged with a hate crime.
The threat was posted in January, shortly after another incident of racist threats in the Marysville School District. In December, two boys reportedly talked openly about killing Black peers during a small online group. No felony charges were filed in that case, and the boys were referred to a diversion program after the prosecutor’s office consulted with parents of a targeted classmate.
According to NAACP Snohomish County, the picture posted in January showed a white man’s hand holding a semiautomatic pistol, with the caption, “Killing minorities soon.”
The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office took on the investigation because the suspect is a close relative of a city police officer.
The Friday announcement came as local activists planned a press conference at 1 p.m. Saturday at Comeford Park in support of the targeted children.
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