Man who put ‘bullseye target’ in NAACP leader’s front yard says he thought it resembled flower

Roy E Brown was arrested on Monday after being caught on CCTV surveillance

Roy E Brown pictured in Tennessee ((Nashville.gov))

A man who put a bullseye target in the front garden of a chapter president for the NAACP said he thought it resembled a flower, according to the authorities.

Roy E Brown was charged with intimidation on Monday, after the 63-year-old black male was identified in surveillance footage, putting the target in Keith Caldwell’s front yard.

Mr Brown put the target in Mr Caldwell’s home because he thought it resembled a flower and would look good in his yard, according to a statement released by the Metro Government of Nashville and Davidson County.

Mr Caldwell told the police that he has known Mr Brown for years, and signed a state misdemeanour citation to have him prosecuted for intimidation.

Despite signing the citation, Mr Caldwell said in a post on Facebook on Monday that he is “advocating for the case to be heard in mental health court. And, if deemed appropriate, that he receive mental health treatment”.

Mr Caldwell added that he was relieved that the event was not racially motivated, and said he is “deeply-grateful for the outpouring of support that the community has shown me during this time of personal upheaval”.

Before CCTV footage had been found, Mr Caldwell told local television station WKRN that he thought the target was racially motivated, and was used as intimidation.

“I understood that it was meant to intimidate me, that literally I’m a target and particularly with the work that I do. So I called the police,” he said.

In a post on Facebook, he said that he had “deep concerns about what this could mean for the safety of my life and the lives of my family members”.

Mr Caldwell, who is also a pastor at the Key Memorial United Methodist Church in Tennessee, added that when he told the police about the target, the officer he spoke to was dismissive and told him it was “pretty cool”.

He told NBC that when an officer, Eric McCoy, from the Metro Nashville Police Department arrived at his residence, he was asked who had put the target there.

“I said, ‘That’s what I’m calling you for,’” he told the outlet. “He said, ‘It’s pretty cool’.”

The pastor added that Mr McCoy did not change his tone, even after Mr Caldwell told him that he considered the target a threat.

“’I’m a black man in this country. I’m the president of the NAACP.’ He was still dismissive.”

In their statement that announced that Mr Brown had been arrested, the authorities said that Mr Caldwell and Mr McCoy have agreed to meet about the incident.

“McCoy said that he meant no disrespect to Caldwell and understands how his words were misconstrued,” the statement read.

“Caldwell and McCoy have agreed to meet each other in a mediation session at the Nashville Conflict Resolution Center to talk through their meeting on Saturday night.”