Five Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers resign amid racist texts probe

Five officers from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department have resigned while under investigation for allegedly sharing racist text messages, a police spokesperson confirmed to ABC News.

A sixth officer involved in the matter resigned earlier in August during a separate investigation, and a seventh officer remains suspended without pay pending a Civil Service Board review, according to the spokesperson.

CMPD Police Chief Estella Patterson announced the resignation of the first three officers during a press conference on Thursday, with two more resignations reported since then.

The messages containing racial slurs were discovered during an investigation into alleged misuse of Flock cameras by former CMPD officer Seth Elliot, who resigned in August and is the seventh officer involved in the case.

It remains unclear if Elliot has entered a plea in the Flock camera-related case, and his defense attorney has not responded to requests for comment.

Chief Patterson described the allegations as serious and deeply troubling during the news conference, expressing disappointment that the issue had to be addressed publicly.