Police in Montana are investigating a report of a noose found near Lyle Lovett’s band’s tour bus
By Jamiel Lynch and Amanda Jackson, CNN
(CNN) — Police in Billings, Montana, are investigating after a musician who performs with Lyle Lovett and His Large Band said he found a noose hanging from a light pole near the group’s tour bus.
Band member Charles Rose, who is White, said he found the noose Sunday morning, ahead of the group’s performance in the city that night.
The multi-racial band, led by the Grammy-winning Lovett, is currently on a summer tour, according to its website.
“I just went back out to our bus to get something and saw this hanging a few feet from the bus door. I don’t recall seeing it when we first arrived this morning,” Rose said in a Facebook post that included a picture of a noose. “Scary. Needless to say, I took it down.”
“The Billings Police Department received a report relating to this event, and it is being investigated as a hate incident,” Mayor Bill Cole said in a statement on Tuesday.
“As of Monday afternoon, the Billings Police Department does not have any witnesses to determine who placed the noose on the light pole or what their intention might have been,” Cole’s statement said.
Investigators have so far been unsuccessful in finding any cameras that may have captured the incident, the mayor added.
“We condemn any hateful speech or symbols of hate in our community,” Cole said.
CNN has reached out to police and the band for additional comment.
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