Picture showing student in a noose prompts basketball game to be canceled between Knightdale and Millbrook high schools

The teams were supposed to face off at Millbrook in north Raleigh. It was senior night for the Millbrook players, and the last regular season game for Knightdale until the schools agreed to call the game off.

An Instagram post, from an account called "godlikemaniacs," depicted four Black basketball players from Knightdale High School in the target of a sniper's cross hairs, and one player hanging from a noose. The message below the picture said, "Next victims on the Millbrook tour ... a slaughtering of the Knights will take place."

The godlikemaniacs account is not associated with the official social media accounts of either school.

Latasha Pegues's son is a 17-year-old senior on the Knightdale team. Pegues said she's cheered on her son since he first hit the basketball court when he was 8 years old.

"For him to play on a high school level, going on to play on a collegiate level — he has thrived over the years," she said.

Friday was supposed to be his last regular season game.

"My son was the one that was PhotoShopped on the noose," said Pegues. "He was very hurt behind this, because that's a sense of hatred. My son knows what a noose means. My son knows our history."

Pegues said a parent brought the post to the school's attention.

"This is serious. This post was not a joke. It was racial," she said.

Another image showed tombstones with the names of rival schools.

"To have a page like this, that’s targeting students and trying to bring violence against basketball students, that’s just not cool," said Pegues.

Pegues said her son and his teammates were pumped for their final games of the season as seniors.

That game should have been a game of fun [and] people celebrating their seniors," she said.

Pegues credited Knightdale's coach and administrators for supporting her son and his teammates by canceling the game before tensions got worse.

Pegues is demanding the school system hold whoever created this account responsible. She also wants the community to understand the pain caused by a social media post.

"My message to [Wake County Public School System] is we put a stop to cyberbullying. We stand up for our children of Wake County Public School System," said Pegues.

The Instagram page that posted the picture has been taken down. A WCPSS spokesperson said the school system is aware of the incident and district leaders and police are investigating.