Denton Police Officer Urges Facebook Followers to "Pop a Cap" in Creepy Clowns

Some people are left wondering what to do about the creepy clowns appearing in cities and towns across the country. One Denton police officer seems to be offering an answer.

“Pop a cap in the first clown you see,” Officer Latrice Pettaway posted on Facebook on Monday evening. “Someone needs to just hit one, and the rest of the fools will learn.”

But so far shooting a clown hasn't stopped the national craze. On Friday, rumors surfaced that an unidentified driver popped several caps in a creepy clown and left him to die on a sidewalk in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Although that turned out to be a hoax, the rumors of violence to clowns hasn't diminished the craze. Dozens of news stories about creepy clowns appeared online Monday and Tuesday.

Denton police didn’t respond to requests for comment, but officials did tell other news outlets that they were investigating Pettaway’s Facebook post to see if it violates the department’s social media policy.

The Dallas Morning News reported that an unidentified source sent them a screenshot of the Pettaway’s post, indicating that she may have privately posted the comment out of frustration over the creepy clown craze. “This clown crap is really getting on my nerves,” she wrote prior to her urging vigilantes to pop a cap in the first clown they see. “Please handle it.”

Though the Denton police officer urged violence, the New York City Police Department actually offered a calmer message on Monday: “Don’t fear the creepy clowns.”