Trayvon racial slur on Mich road sign

DETROIT, Mich. (WOOD) - An electronic road construction sign near Dearborn, Mich. displayed a racial slur early Monday morning, targeting a Florida teenager who was fatally shot in February.

The sign referenced Trayvon Martin who police said was killed by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman in self-defense. It has yet been decided if Zimmerman will be charged in the shooting.

The Michigan Department of Transportation sign, which read "Trayvon a N*****," is located on Interstate 94 near Addison Street, west of downtown Detroit, WDIV reports.

MDOT said that the sign was hacked just after midnight. Passersby noticed the hacked sign about 1 a.m. and called police who said they received numerous calls about the incident.

Michigan State Police troopers responded and contacted a sign supervisor to fix the message.

The control box on the sign was unlocked and the keyboard used to write messages was missing.

State police searched other construction message signs on the highway to make sure they weren't hacked. This was the only affected sign.

Police continue to look for those responsible in writing the racial slur.

"Everyone at MDOT is appalled by this criminal act," said State Transportation Director Kirk T. Steudle. "We will do everything we can to cooperate with the Michigan State Police investigation and we look forward to bringing the responsible party to justice."