“Covid 19 imported Chy-na virus,” says the racist shirt in the photo posted on April 2, 2020.
Although the account he posted was deleted, CNN was able to access the photos via a cached copy. The name on the Facebook account corresponds to Jay Baker, and he claims the individual is an employee of the Cherokee County sheriff’s office.
The Daily Beast was the first to report the photo of the racist shirt. They also reported that the account posted pictures of Baker in uniform, with his badge visible.
When contacted by CNN about the post, Baker told CNN: “No further comments.”
“I loved my shirt,” says the caption in the photo. This encourages others to buy their own t-shirts, saying, “buy yours while they last.” CNN contacted the store that sold the t-shirts, but did not receive an immediate response.
CNN also contacted Facebook to see if they deleted the account or if the user did, but did not receive a response.
This allegation comes as criticism of Baker’s description of the actions of the suspect in the spa shoot, Robert Aaron Long, on Tuesday, continue to grow.
“He was quite fed up and almost at the end of the line,” Baker told a news conference on Wednesday. “Yesterday was a very bad day for him, and that is what he did.”