"Black Lives Matter" note found near burning police car, cops say
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- A police cruiser in Florida was set on fire and a note referencing the Black Lives Matter movement was found nearby.
According to a statement from Daytona Beach Police, dispatch received a call of a vehicle fire at 2:30 a.m. Sunday. Responding officers found a marked Daytona Beach police car fully engulfed in flames in front of the Islamic Center of Daytona Beach.
The car was being used as a "ghost car" to deter crime in the area.
Fire crews responded and put the fire out. No one was injured.
Investigators found a note that said "Black Lives Matter. A. Sterling P. Castile," and referred to police using an expletive. It's unclear exactly where the note was found.
The incident comes amid rising tension nationwide following the fatal police shootings of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Philando Castile in in suburban St. Paul, Minnesota. Those deaths were followed by two deadly ambushes targeting police officers. Five officers died when a gunman opened fire during a protest in Dallas on July 7. And on Sunday, a gunman shot and killed three law enforcement officers in Baton Rouge.