CNN hosts Don Lemon and Chris Cuomo aren’t caving to the folks who probably disagreed with their reasonable take on the officer-involved shooting in Columbus, Ohio. It occurred minutes before the Derek Chauvin verdict was read in the trial that has captured the attention of the nation. Chauvin was the former Minneapolis police officer at the center of George Floyd’s death. The Ohio shooting was different. Ma'Khia Bryant was shot and killed by officer Nicholas Reardon when he arrived at a scene of absolute mayhem, with Bryant about to stab another woman. The officer neutralized the threat per his training. He saved the woman’s life. Bryant was about to stab her. It’s clear in the bodycam footage. The 911 call also described a scene of chaos, with Bryant being accused of attacking people and attempting to stab others. That call was edited by NBC News for some reason.
Cuomo and Lemon noted that not all police shootings are the same. They reiterated that tasers don’t always work, especially at the distance from which Officer Reardon arrived on the scene. They noted that people don’t stab others with their feet. It’s their upper body, so the ‘shoot in the leg’ pivot some liberals are making is just nonsensical. It also immensely increases the chances of innocent bystanders being shot; hitting the leg, arm, or hand is a small target to hit. It’s a fundamental lack of understanding of police training. Cuomo and Lemon noted this as well. Police are trained to use equal or greater threats of force in these situations.
CNN's Chris Cuomo and Don Lemon double down on support for Columbus Officer Nicholas Reardon in the face of backlash from other liberals.
— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) April 23, 2021
"We cannot treat all police shootings in the same way," Lemon says. pic.twitter.com/1XyutUlyvG
And speaking to those who say Officer Reardon should have shot Bryant in the leg instead of neutralizing the threat, Lemon notes: "People don't stab people with their feet. They're stabbing with their arms and their upper body." pic.twitter.com/CVk2Gkgj5e
— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) April 23, 2021
In nearing the end, the two seemed to make a vague reference to the story I broke last night of NBC's deceptive editing of 911 audio and body camera footage.
— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) April 23, 2021
"I heard some people were reporting on the incident without showing the knife," Cuomo said. "That is malpractice. pic.twitter.com/lRuyVK9qD7
Surprisingly, they also noted some outlets not mentioning the knife, which both men agreed was not in keeping with proper journalistic protocol. Cuomo called it “malpractice.” Indeed, sir—it fuels the fake news narratives that often are spewed by the Left in these instances.
Now, I know what you’re thinking. CNN is the mecca of fake news, especially with the Russian collusion stuff and the overall coverage of the Trump White House. That’s all true, but in this case, these guys have called it right. I’m sure we’ll be attacking them again soon. These two defended the leftist rioting last summer. It’s going to happen, but for now—these hosts have taken a rational stance on this shooting.