Kampgrounds of America has terminated an employee that a video shows threatening visitors with a gun.
A video making rounds on social media shows a white woman with what appears to be a revolver confronting two black visitors to the campsite. The incident happened at the Kampgrounds of America site at the Oktibbeha County Lake.
“This lady literally just pulled a gun because we’re out here and didn’t have reservations,” the woman holding the camera says, “on a lake that we didn’t even know we have to have reservations for.”
The visitors tell the woman, who is wearing a yellow shirt with a Kampgrounds of America logo on it, they would have left the site if asked.
As the woman stuffs the gun into her pocket, she tells the visitors to leave the site.
“Well I’m just telling you you need to leave because it’s under private ownership,” she says.
Many social media users have questioned if the incident wasn’t sparked by racial motivation.
Kampgrounds of America’s Starkville location in located on land former MSU Basketball Head Coach Rick Stansbury leases from the Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District. Stansbury has leased the school property, and adjacent county-owned property at the lake, since 2012.
Board of Supervisors President Orlando Trainer said he’s aware of the incident at the KOA site, but he’s not sure if the lease makes the land “private property,” as the employee claims in the video.
“If that got leased, it might be considered their private property because what’s being done out there is a private enterprise,” Trainer said. “But to me, that whole situation was handled wrong.”
Kampgrounds of America Inc. Vice President of Communications Mike Gast told The Dispatch that the company is investigating the matter.
“We were made aware of the incident (Monday),” Gast wrote. “We are currently looking into the matter and contacting all of the parties involved.”
No arrests appear to have been made in relation to the incident. Oktibbeha County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Jon Davis said he was aware of the incident from social media, but did not immediately see any related calls for service when checking on Tuesday morning.
Online
Alex Holloway was formerly a reporter with The Dispatch.
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