CNN anchor Don Lemon issued a defense of the police officer who shot and killed a 16-year-old girl who was wielding a knife.
Columbus, Ohio, police officer Nicholas Reardon arrived at a home after being dispatched to a possible attempted stabbing. As he approached the scene, he opened fire, killing Ma’Khia Bryant, a black 16-year-old girl who was in the process of swinging a blade at someone.
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The officer faced swift rebuke by some liberal pundits, including LeBron James, for his use of deadly force, but Lemon defended the officer Wednesday night, noting that he was doing his job.
Body camera video released by Columbus Police in Ohio shows #MakiyahBryant attacking another female with a knife before she is shot by police. #BLM have been protesting, calling the shooting racist because Makiyah is black. pic.twitter.com/LY1HaJyI1F
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) April 21, 2021
“People are anguished watching another video like this, and I get it. But even in our anguish, we cannot abandon the responsibility we have to be fair. And even while our hearts are hurting, we have to judge each incident based on what we see and the facts we know,” Lemon said.
“They roll up on the scene. They see people tussling around. Someone has a knife, and their job is to protect and serve every life on that scene. If they see someone who is in the process of taking a life, what is that decision, what decision do they have to make?” he added. “The other person’s life was in imminent danger. As you know, from the hostile environment training that we get on this job, and because of our proximity to law enforcement, that at a certain distance, a stabbing, a knife, can be much more lethal than a bullet. Especially if you get stabbed in the artery in the temple, somewhere that you’re going to bleed out.”
Lemon, in reference to people who said the officer shouldn’t have used lethal force, said that “Tasers don’t always connect.”
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Lemon, referencing Derek Chauvin’s conviction, the shooting of Daunte Wright, and the shooting of Andrew Brown on Wednesday when police tried serving a search warrant, said change still is necessary regarding policing.
“With people dying every day, we’ve got to find a pathway to justice. A road map to take this country to where we need to be,” Lemon concluded. “To liberty and justice for all.”
