WASHINGTON — Surveillance footage has been released that may be connected to the vandalism of a Confederate statue outside the Loudoun County Courthouse in Leesburg, Virginia.
The nighttime video shows two males, authorities said, walking on a sidewalk along Church Street near the courthouse.
“We’re not sure they’re the suspects. They may be leads to the suspects,” said Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman.
The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office believes the pair may be responsible for spray-painting the statue early Thursday morning. That graffiti on the Confederate soldier statue included obscene language, investigators said. So far, the vandalism hasn’t been linked to any hate groups.
The incident is one of many similar cases being reported around the nation, and Chapman understands this comes during an emotionally charged time in the nation.
“We have a very civil community, and we want people, if they have any differences, to communicate their issues civilly and not in a protest manner in which any destruction of property or worse may happen,” Chapman said.
The spray paint was removed from the statue. No permanent damage was done.
Chapman said the sheriff’s office won’t be guarding the statue around the clock because of what took place.
