Bodycam footage can prevent ‘BLM hoax’

At a news conference Monday discussing the release of the footage, Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said of the officer: “He did the things we trained him to do and what we expect from him when we are threatened like that. If you can reposition yourself tactically, you do. If you can use distance, use it. If you can seek to hide and hide, seek it. All of these options were not available to him.

Davis also mentioned that the unnamed officer was “trained in crisis intervention.” He said the officer was supposed to be accompanied by a co-responder, but the mental health clinician was responding to another call and was not available.

The climate in the United States is such that when police violence occurs against black people, accusations of racism are often heard. On X, a user posted: “It was racism and abuse. He had a gun and she didn’t. She was clearly going through a psychotic episode. People who have psychotic episodes do not deserve to be murdered. » The post, which has more than 3 million views, also has more than 17,000 likes.

Wilson was clearly in a disturbed mental state. That’s not to say the officer was wrong to defend himself when Wilson clearly tried to kill him and had no intention of stopping.

Wilson was a former Georgetown basketball player. On September 20, the Georgetown women’s team account posted a photo of Wilson with: “Georgetown women’s basketball mourns the tragic loss of Sydney Wilson.” The post has over 9 million views, 2,300 likes and 1,500 reposts.

On October 6, the account posted another photo and said, “We love you Syd! We will keep you in our hearts! » Nowhere in either article does it mention that Wilson died because of her own actions while attempting to kill a police officer.

Both posts on X include community notes with information about Wilson’s death, with the basketball account deliberately excluded. In his own article about how Notes stopped a possible “BLM hoax,” X owner Elon Musk said, “Community Notes is a kryptonite hoax. »

It is sad that Wilson’s life had to end in such a brutal way. But the officer acted in self-defense when Wilson, 6-foot-5 and 330 pounds, charged at him while holding a knife. He made the right choice, but it was difficult to shoot. There was nothing racist or offensive about it.

Choosing to ignore the events surrounding Wilson’s death leaves too much room for the spread of lies. This is especially true in an age where social media dominates and facts are easily disputed or intentionally overlooked.

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It is abundantly clear that the Fairfax County officer took the difficult but necessary action that day. This situation is an example of the importance of body cameras. The footage protects both police officers and citizens from false accusations of wrongdoing.

In some cases, citizens are right and agents abuse their power. In other cases, the police are just doing their job, following the appropriate code of conduct and protecting themselves and others. In both scenarios, clarity is found in body camera footage, which is unaffected by outside narratives or deliberate lies aimed at covering up criminality.

Kimberly Ross (@SouthernKeeks) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner Beltway Confidential blog and independent columnist at Free Men Newsletter.