JACKSON, Miss. -- A former Jackson mayor said an interracial marriage didn't prevent a police chief investigating the sniper shootings from being hired in Jackson, but he said the issue was discussed.

Montgomery County Police Chief Charles Moose accused former Mayor Kane Ditto of discrimination in a 1997 "Good Morning America" interview that aired again on Friday.

Moose said in 1994, Ditto wouldn't hire him as Jackson chief because he is married to a white woman -- a claim Ditto denies.

Yet Ditto did day community leaders were concerned that Moose's marriage would make the couple uncomfortable in Jackson.

"They just thought an interracial couple wouldn't be happy," Ditto said. "Jackson doesn't have that many interracial marriages. Where are they gonna find a support group?"

Jackson resident Jimmy Robinson, who was part of a group that interviewed current Police Chief Robert Moore, said Moose's allegations don't surprise him.

"It's very highly possible," Robinson said. "I've seen a lot of discrimination in the police department. Not only there, but in business and everything else."