Following an alleged racial incident at a branch of the $38billion State Employees' Credit Union, a former employee told alocal media outlet he was fired for no official reason.

Matt Anderson, who worked as a loan officer at North Carolina'slargest credit union for only a year, said he would appreciate itif people did not think he was a racist. Anderson also claimed heand his fiancé have received “threats of violence,” according toWNCN-TV in Raleigh.

Last week, SECU member Stacy Smith said she wasvery offended when she saw on Anderson's desk a black figurine witha steel shackle around its neck. However, the figurine depicts acharacter from “The Walking Dead,” a television series about apost-apocalypse world overrun by zombies.

After Smith told him the tiny toy was very offensive to her,Anderson said he asked why because he “wanted to know so that hecould apologize to her,” according to the local news report.

Instead, Smith complained to a supervisor and posted hercomments about the May 22 incident on her Facebook page that gotnearly 5,000 views, more than 8,000 shares and more than 100comments as of Wednesday morning. Smith also posted photos ofthe figurine, Anderson's desk and some of his Facebook posts aboutthe incident.

One of the photos shows Anderson's messages with a friend inwhich it appears he shared the member's name. While Anderson admitsto discussing the incident with his friend, he denied sharing themember's information, WNCN reported.

Anderson said he was sorry if anyone took the figurine in thewrong way. He also said he would have also apologized to Smithimmediately had he been given the opportunity before she walked outof the branch, according the local news station report.

Anderson did not return a CU Times message seekingcomment.

More than 200 people commented on WNCN's Facebook page about thecontroversy, and many thought Anderson should not have beenfired.

Some of the comments included the following by differentFacebook users:

• “Yes, maybe he shouldn't have had the collectible on this desk.It can be seen as gruesome, making it unprofessional and not workappropriate. But….to lose his job because someone assumed themeaning of the figurine…..that's too much.”
• “Even if it was part of the show, today's culture is easilyoffended. He should have been spoken to but not fired.”
• “I'm offended that he was fired over one of my favoritecharacters in the Walking Dead.”
• “This man could have simply been asked to remove the toys fromhis desk and everyone could have moved on,” she wrote. “Instead,he's lost his job and is receiving threats over a totalmisunderstanding on the customer's fault.”

Others, however, pointed out that Anderson most likely lost hisjob because he allegedly shared Smith's name with another personviolating her privacy, which the former SECU employee hasdenied.

In a prepared statement released May 23, a day after theincident occurred, SECU said it takes the privacy of every memberseriously and that the actions of one of its employees fell farshort of expectations. The credit union said it took immediatesteps to address this personnel matter, but declined to say whatspecific steps were taken.