The New York Police Department is reportedly investigating claims that officers called attendees of the West Indian Day Parade "animals" and "savages" on Facebook.
The New York Times reports that several officers used Facebook to announce their displeasure of the annual Labor Day event in Brooklyn. One posting whose author matched that of a police officer read: "Let them kill each other."
"Filth," read another posting by Nick Virgilio, whose name also matches that of a police officer.
Another posting read: "It's not racist if it's true."
NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said the matter would be referred to the department's Internal Affairs Bureau.
The Facebook page, which has since been removed, was called "No More West Indian Day Detail." Two attorneys used the officers' comments to defend a man charged with gun possession, the Times reports.