NBA star LeBron James deleted a tweet on Wednesday with the words “you’re next” along with what appears to be a photo of an officer who shot and killed a teenager who police said was about to stab another person in Columbus, Ohio, on Tuesday.
“YOU’RE NEXT,” James tweeted with an hourglass emoji. “#ACCOUNTABILITY.”
The tweet, which garnered thousands of retweets, tens of thousands of “likes,” and many negative comments, was deleted less than two hours after it was sent.
LeBron James just deleted this tweet: pic.twitter.com/5F6pZVi0QB
— Alex Salvi (@alexsalvinews) April 21, 2021
Ma’Khia Bryant, a black 16-year-old girl, was identified as the teenager who was shot and killed by an officer responding to a call about an attempted stabbing in Columbus, Ohio. The Columbus Division of Police released the body camera video, which showed her holding a knife, and police said she was “attempting to stab” another female individual when the officer, who has been identified as Nicholas Reardon, shot her several times. Bryant was later declared dead at a local hospital.
“I’m so damn tired of seeing Black people killed by police. I took the tweet down because its being used to create more hate -This isn’t about one officer,” James explained in a follow-up tweet. “it’s about the entire system and they always use our words to create more racism. I am so desperate for more ACCOUNTABILITY.”
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An investigation is being conducted by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
The shooting in Ohio took place just minutes before a Minneapolis jury returned a guilty verdict in the death of George Floyd. Floyd’s death sparked a wave of protests against racial inequality and police brutality across the country and the world.
The white ex-officer accused of killing Floyd, a black man, was Derek Chauvin, who was found guilty of one count of second-degree murder, one count of third-degree murder, and one count of second-degree manslaughter.
Chauvin’s sentencing is expected to occur in about eight weeks, and he faces a maximum of 40 years in prison.
