MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Editor's note: This story discusses a sensitive matter that is still developing. Reader discretion is advised.
An investigation is underway after photos started circulating on social media showing someone on the Lake Norman High School campus wearing graduation robes and a white pointed hood, similar to what a member of the Ku Klux Klan would wear.
Multiple viewers sent WCNC Charlotte copies of the photos. In one of the pictures, the person is making a gesture similar to a Nazi salute.
Magnolia Gray, who has a relative at the school, said she received the photos Friday and was shocked.
"I'm horrified," Gray said. "I'm floored. I'm shocked. It is the most horrifying thing in the world."
She said the person in the pictures, who her relative told her is a student, needs to learn from this incident.
"I would like him to sit down and talk to other people, and maybe get a different idea of the world," Gray said.
A parent also forwarded WCNC Charlotte a voicemail from Lake Norman High School, which addressed the incident and shared that an investigation was underway.
The message is purportedly from the school's assistant principal and states, in part, "Lake Norman High School and the Iredell-Statesville Schools do not condone this unacceptable act of discrimination. If anyone has information regarding this photo, please reach out to the school administration. Racial harassment, discrimination, hate speech, or degradation of any kind will not be tolerated and does not represent our high school or our school district. Acts such as this are a disgrace to our community, and those involved will be disciplined to the fullest extent."
WCNC Charlotte has reached out to Iredell-Statesville Schools for more information about the incident.
This is a developing story and this article will be updated as more information comes in.
Contact Vanessa Ruffes at vruffes@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.