DALLAS – In the midst of Thursday night’s horror in Dallas, police tweeted out a photo of a ‘suspect’ who turned out to be innocent.
Mark Hughes turned himself in to an officer after learning the photo of him holding a rifle was circulating on social media and on national television.
He was later released.
https://twitter.com/DallasPD/status/751262719584575488
Video shows Hughes handing over his rifle to an officer and accepting a business card from him.
here's the 'blamed suspect', mark hughes handing his gun to the officer, he is NOT the shooter, please share #Dallas pic.twitter.com/htKTHc6esu
— h🇸🇴 (@seuIrenist) July 8, 2016
“We received a phone call that my face was on there as a suspect and immediately I flagged down a police officer,” he later said in an interview.
Many took to Twitter to question why he was identified as a suspect, and why his photo remained on the department’s Twitter feed.
Shouldn't @DallasPD delete this Tweet? Mark Hughes has been questioned & released. #DallasPoliceShooting #Dallas https://t.co/hNjmIRbrbh
— Dan Marries (@DanMarriesKOLD) July 8, 2016
I hearing that @DallasPD has cleared Mark Hughes. They're tweeting other things, but not that. And his pic remains up as a suspect. #Dallas
— April (@ReignOfApril) July 8, 2016
Mark Hughes turned himself in after being called a suspect by media, while @DallasPD only called him a POI.
Why? Black men can't open carry— Ramon Romero Jr. (@RepRamonRomero) July 8, 2016
Hughes said he was held in a police interrogation room while officers “lied” and said they had video of him shooting a gun and had witnesses who saw him shoot a gun.
Rightfully so. RT @MatthewKeysLive: KTVT found the man Dallas Police earlier called a shooting suspect. He's pissed. pic.twitter.com/yhNpxF4UcY
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) July 8, 2016
“Now you all have my face on the national news. Are you all going to come out and say that this young man had nothing to do with it?” he asked.
