Virginia Deputies Confront Black Man Wearing KKK Robe Outside Target

STAFFORD COURTHOUSE, Va. (WJZ) — A black man wearing a Ku Klux Klan robe at a Virginia Target told deputies he was performing a social experiment.

The Stafford County Sheriff’s Office was called to a Target store at the Stafford Marketplace around 2:30 p.m. to investigate reports of someone wearing a Ku Klux Klan outfit, Maj. Shawn Kimmitz said in a video statement posted to social media Tuesday.

Kimmitz said they learned the man inside the robe was black and didn’t live in the area.

#HappeningNow: This afternoon, we responded to reports of a subject wearing a KKK outfit at the Stafford Marketplace Target. Deputies made contact with the subject who claimed he was conducting a social experiment. He was warned on wearing a mask in public & left the scene pic.twitter.com/Vm77fZmAXy

— StaffordCoSheriff (@staffcosheriff) February 11, 2020

Deputies told him he couldn’t wear the mask in public and he left, according to authorities. Virginia law prohibits wearing masks with the intent to conceal identity in public.

A photo posted to Twitter by a witness at the shopping center showed someone dressed in the white robe and hood talking to deputies while others looked on.

KKK in front of Stafford, VA Target pic.twitter.com/JdDZdyWeIw

— Enoc Landero (@Cky182Dude) February 11, 2020

The sheriff’s office didn’t identify the man.