Police: Man Left Practice Target In NAACP President’s Yard Because It ‘Resembled A Flower’

Metro Nashville police say they’ve figured out who left a practice target in the yard of a civil rights leader.

The man, Roy E. Brown, told officers he placed it outside the home of Nashville NAACP President Keith Caldwell because he thought it looked like a flower.

Caldwell says he’s asking for the case to be heard in mental health court and is convinced that it was not race-related.

“I feel an enormous sense of relief that the threat has been identified,” Caldwell says in a statement posted on Facebook.

The target was left in the front yard of Caldwell’s North Nashville home on Saturday night. Caldwell says the officer who first responded to his complaint dismissed his concern, calling the target “cool,” but police returned Sunday to collect fingerprints and launch a full investigation.

They announced the results Monday afternoon. Police say Brown, 63, was identified using surveillance footage from a nearby property. Brown has been issued a misdemeanor citation for intimidation.

The department also says the officer who responded to the call did not intend any disrespect toward Caldwell, and the two men will attend a mediation session.

BREAKING: Detectives have identified Roy E. Brown, 63, as the man who placed a plastic target in the yard of NAACP President Keith Caldwell Sat afternoon. Brown said he has known Caldwell for years & thought the target resembled a flower that would look nice in Caldwell's yard…

— Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) May 11, 2020