RENO, Nev. (AP) — A rural Nevada sheriff is investigating a potential hate crime after a Black man who was collecting signatures for a ballot measure recorded a confrontation with another man he said directed a racial slur at him and said “they have a hanging tree” for people like him.
“I'm still shaking every time I think about it,” Ricky Johnson told The Associated Press by phone Monday as he boarded a plane in northern Nevada back to his home in Houston, Texas.
Johnson posted part of the video of the Aug. 2 incident in Virginia City, Nevada, on social media, and the comments drew swift condemnation from local and state officials. Sponsors of the 10-day Hot August Nights classic car event that was being held at the time said it revoked the registrations of those identified in the video confronting Johnson.
Storey County Undersheriff Eric Kern said Monday the office has completed interviews with Johnson and potential suspects and delivered the case to the district attorney for a decision on any charges.
“As far as a hate crime, it could be an element," Kern told AP. “There is an enhancement we are looking at.”
Johnson, who can't be seen on the video he posted to TikTok, said a white man called him a racial epithet and referenced the “hanging tree” before he started recording the encounter. In the recording, Johnson asks the man to repeat what he said.
A loud, profanity-filled argument on both sides followed before a woman told Johnson he was on her property and he repeatedly asks her not to touch him as they move the conversation into the street, the video shows.
Kern said Johnson provided the video to investigators. He said no one, whether suspect or victim, has been uncooperative in the investigation.
In a statement over the weekend, the sheriff's office said it doesn't condone racism, inequality or hate speech and wants to ensure the public it's doing a thorough investigation.
“But I want to say that in general, in Virginia City, this is not something that happens here," Kern said. “It’s really a sad thing but it’s an isolated incident. It’s has caused a lot of negative impacts on all sides because people are getting a negative opinion. People are calling businesses.”
Storey County District Attorney Anne Langer didn't respond to an email request for comment Monday. A spokeswoman for her office referred calls to County Manager Austin Osborne, who declined to comment on the status of any potential charges in an email to AP but said the “abhorrent and inexcusable” behavior exhibited “by a few individuals are not reflective of our community and our values.”
Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford, who is Black, offered his support Monday to the Storey County Sheriff's Office in the investigation of what he said was a “hateful, racist incident” in one of Nevada's most storied towns.
Virginia City attracts tens of thousands of tourists who walk its wood-planked sidewalks filled with old saloons and stores in the Virginia Range just east of the Sierra, about 30 minutes outside of Reno.
It was Nevada’s largest city in the mid-1800s when the discovery of the Comstock Lode brought thousands of silver miners there. Samuel Clemens got his start in the newspaper business and adopted his pen name, Mark Twain, there at the Territorial Enterprise.
Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo posted on social media saying he was concerned and disappointed by the incident.
“Racism and hate have no place in Nevada — this behavior must be condemned in the strongest terms possible," he wrote on X.
The Virginia City Tourism Commission denounced the “hateful and racist” behavior as “abhorrent and inexcusable.”
Johnson was working for Advanced Micro Targeting Inc., a Texas-based company that provides voter outreach and get-out-the-vote services, to collect signatures for a proposed Nevada state ballot initiative aimed at capping fees that attorneys collect from clients in personal injury cases.
Johnson said he's been the target of racial slurs before but the Virginia City incident was different.
“To be actually in the middle of that and you have no way out. you feel like you’re being surrounded by all these people. I felt closed in,” he said.
Associated Press writer Ken Ritter contributed to this report from Las Vegas.
Cars line the main stretch of Virginia City, Nev., that attracts tens of thousands of tourists. The Storey County Sheriff's Office is investigating a potential hate crime after a Blackman who was collecting signatures for a ballot measure says he was the target of a racial harassment. (AP Photo/Gabe Stern)
Travis Kelce adds game show host to his growing resume with “Are You Smarter than a Celebrity?” and Lin-Manuel Miranda's “Warriors,” a musical concept album inspired by the 1979 cult classic film, are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you.
Also among the streaming offerings worth your time as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists: Anna Kendrick stars in a movie about the time a serial killer made his way onto the television show “The Dating Game,” Nintendo fans get Super Mario Party Jamboree and “NCIS” looks back at character Leroy Jethro Gibbs in “NCIS: Origins,” a series set 25 years before the original.
— In 1978, a serial killer made his way onto the television show “The Dating Game.” Rodney Alcala was already a murderer by the time he appeared on the show as one of three bachelors seeking a date with a woman named Cheryl Bradshaw. He even won. Had they done a background check, they might have discovered that he’d been on the FBI’s 10 most wanted fugitives list and already been imprisoned for violent crimes against an 8-year-old. In the new Netflix film “Woman of the Hour,” streaming on Friday, Oct. 18, Anna Kendrick (also making her directorial debut) stars as the woman on the show (spelled Sheryl here) and puts the attention back on the victims. “Woman of the Hour” received good reviews out of the Toronto Film Festival last year.
— If fake serial killers are more your style, “MaXXXine” starts streaming on MAX on Friday, Oct. 18. The third film in Ti West and Mia Goth’s unlikely trilogy (following “X” and “Pearl”) takes the audience to the sleazy underground of 1980s Hollywood. Goth’s Maxine Minx is an adult film star hoping for a big break in mainstream movies. She gets a shot from Elizabeth Debicki’s refined director. But she’s also running from her past and a killer terrorizing the town. It’s very stylized and a little silly and underdeveloped but it’s a fun watch with a fun, extended Lily Collins cameo.
— And for those looking for a comedy, Josh Brolin and Peter Dinklage play brothers, and former partners in crime in a starry new movie coming to Prime Video on Thursday. Brolin is the one trying for a more normal life when Dinklage convinces him to embark on a road trip to a promised big score. “Brothers,” directed by Max Barbakow (who made the delightful time loop romantic comedy “Palm Springs”) also features Marisa Tomei, Glenn Close, Brendan Fraser and Taylour Paige in its big ensemble.
— AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr
— On Friday, Oct. 18, Lin-Manuel Miranda — in his first full post-“Hamilton” musical — and the award-winning actor and playwright Eisa Davis will release “Warriors,” a musical concept album inspired by the 1979 cult classic film that follows a street gang as they make their way from the Bronx to their home turf of Coney Island amid an all-out blitz. There are some notable departures here, including some gender-flipping and inventive genre-melding, no doubt an extension of its all-star cast, which features everyone from Ms. Lauryn Hill and Marc Anthony to Colman Domingo, Busta Rhymes and more. Last month, the duo told The Associated Press in an exclusive interview that their version of “Warriors” is about unity and peace. But it sounds full of action.
— AP Music Writer Maria Sherman
— Austin Stowell plays a younger version of Mark Harmon’s “NCIS” character, Leroy Jethro Gibbs in “NCIS: Origins,” a series set 25 years before the original. We meet this Gibbs as he’s beginning his career as a naval investigator. “NCIS: Origins” debuts Monday on CBS and streams on Paramount+.
— A new Peacock docuseries digs into the wild but true story of Elizabeth Finch, a former writer on ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy.” Finch wrote storylines she claimed were inspired by her own life and medical history, including a battle with bone cancer. She later admitted to lying. The three-part docuseries also tells the story of Finch’s ex-wife, who was the one to expose her deceit in the first place. “Anatomy of Lies” streams Tuesday on Peacock.
— Travis Kelce adds game show host to his growing resume. The Kansas City Chiefs tight-end hosts “Are You Smarter than a Celebrity?” beginning Wednesday on Prime Video. On the show, adult contestants answer elementary grade questions with a pool of celebrities on standby ready to help.
— In the Apple TV+’s dramedy “Shrinking,” Jason Segel plays Jimmy, a therapist grieving the death of his wife and trying to navigate being a single parent to a teen daughter. In season one, he begins to give his patients unorthodox advice, like inviting one (Luke Tennie) to move into his home. We also saw a new kind of family blossom between Jimmy, his colleagues (Harrison Ford and Jessica Williams), and neighbor (Christa Miller). Season two of the heartwarming comedy premieres Wednesday on the streamer.
— In season three of Netflix’s “The Lincoln Lawyer,” Mickey Haller is rocked by the murder of his former client Gloria Days (Fiona Rene), but he also agrees to defend the man accused of killing her. The story is based on No. 5 of Michael Connelly’s The Lincoln Lawyer book series called “The Gods of Guilt.” It premieres Thursday on Netflix.
— The “Sheldon-verse” continues with “Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage” debuting Thursday on CBS. The series stars Montana Jordan as Sheldon’s older brother George “Georgie” Cooper and his new bride Mandy, played by Emily Osment. It’s a sequel to “Young Sheldon” which wrapped last May after seven seasons. Episodes also stream on Paramount+.
— “Hysteria!”, coming to Peacock on Friday, Oct. 18, follows members of a high school band who pretend to be in a Satanic cult for attention. Their plan falls apart when town members target the teens in a witch hunt. The series stars Julie Bowen of “Modern Family” and “Evil Dead” star Bruce Campbell.
— Alicia Rancilio
— Holiday season is almost here, and for Nintendo fans, there’s no party like a Mario Party. Super Mario Party Jamboree follows the classic formula: It’s a virtual board game in which most of the spaces lead to a multiplayer contest. Up to four people can play in-person or online, though one online mode lets up to 20 compete in a hectic “Koopathlon.” There are 22 characters, seven different boards and more than 110 minigames covering the gamut of Mario Party silliness, from races to brawls to minigolf. And there are few cooperative challenges, like a cooking game where four chefs try to slice and dice in rhythm. The festivities start Thursday on Switch.
— Barcelona-based Nomada Studio gained plenty of fans and a handful of awards with 2018’s stylish Gris, a haunting tale in which a young girl worked through grief by solving puzzles and collecting stars. The indie developer’s Neva starts in a similarly gloomy place: A warrior named Alba sets out with a white wolf, Neva, to explore a dying world. Nomada calls it “a love song dedicated to our children, our parents and our planet,” and the arresting, painterly landscapes will look familiar to fans of Gris. The journey begins Tuesday on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S, Switch and PC.
— Lou Kesten
This image released by Netflix shows Tony Hale, left, and Anna Kendrick in a scene from "Woman of the Hour." (Leah Gallo/Netflix via AP)
This image released by Netflix shows Tony Hale, from left, Anna Kendrick, Matt Visser, Jedidiah Goodacre and Daniel Zovatto in a scene from "Woman of the Hour." (Leah Gallo/Netflix via AP)
This image released by A24 shows Mia Goth in a scene from "MaXXXine." (Justin Lubin/A24 via AP)
This image released by A24 shows Mia Goth in a scene from "MaXXXine." (Justin Lubin/A24 via AP)
This image released by Netflix shows Tony Hale, left, and Anna Kendrick in a scene from "Woman of the Hour." (Leah Gallo/Netflix via AP)
This combination of photos show promotional art for "NCIS: Origins," left, "Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity," center, and "Shrinking." (CBS/Prime/Apple TV+ via AP)
This cover image released by Atlantic Records shows "Warriors" by Lin-Manuel Miranda & Eisa Davis. (Atlantic Records via AP)
