Los Angeles Laker star LeBron James has been hit with some social media backlash due to a recent tweet in which he spoke out on the shooting of Ma’Khia Bryant, a 16-year-old Black girl from Columbus, Ohio.
James shared a tweet — which read “YOU’RE NEXT #accountability” with a picture of the police officer Nicholas Reardon who allegedly shot Bryant — before he deleted it, according to ESPN.
Then, on Wednesday afternoon, James shared a series of tweets, apologizing for the original tweet.
- “I’m so (expletive) 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. it’s about the entire system and they always use our words to create more racism. I am so desperate for more ACCOUNTABILITY.”
- “ANGER does any of us any good and that includes myself! Gathering all the facts and educating does though! My anger still is here for what happened that lil girl. My sympathy for her family and may justice prevail!”
Details on shooting of Ma’Khia Bryant
As the Deseret News reported, the young girl was fatally shot by an officer in Columbus, Ohio. The incident occurred shortly before Derek Chauvin was found guilty of killing George Floyd.
Police said Ma’Khia Bryant had threatened two girls with a knife before the shooting, according to The New York Times.
- “It’s a tragic day in the city of Columbus. It’s a horrible, heartbreaking situation,” Columbus Mayor Andrew J. Ginther said in a statement, according to The Columbus Dispatch. ”We felt transparency in sharing this footage, as incomplete as it is at this time.”