Toppled Confederate Statue Leads to Criminal Probe

A criminal investigation has been opened following the toppling of a Confederate monument on the University of North Carolina campus at Chapel Hill. Per Reuters, administrators with the university system announced the probe on Tuesday after calling the teardown of the "Silent Sam" statue an example of "mob rule" that won't be tolerated. The statue of a Confederate soldier was donated to the university by the United Daughters of the Confederacy and erected in 1913 to honor soldiers from the South who died in the war. Per WRAL, UNC Chancellor Carol Folt issued a statement that, while noting the statue had been a divisive symbol for years, called "last night’s actions ... unlawful and dangerous, and we are very fortunate that no one was injured." Per the AP, other top university and state leaders have also spoken out on the incident. (More Confederate statues stories.)