DeSantis slams media outlets for burying lede of Chicago shootout story, defends officers’ actions
ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – Gov. Ron DeSantis slammed media outlets for burying the lede of a Chicago shootout involving police and an armed man during a press conference on Friday.
The governor was quick to defend law enforcement’s actions during the event.
“You see these headlines, and they’re trying to cause division in society, they’re trying to create a narrative, they know what they’re doing,” he said. “Sometimes you’ve got to read eight paragraphs down, and then when you do that they have to admit that this guy was shooting at the police officers first.”
“So – how are you in a situation where it’s at all controversial to have a criminal suspect shooting and hitting one of the police officers, firing shots, they’re not supposed to be able to respond in-kind? They not only have a right to respond in kind, they have a duty to respond in-kind when somebody is using lethal force against them,” he said.
The headlines promoted by many prominent media outlets, including the Washington Post and the Associated Press, detailed how 26-year-old Dexter Reed was shot “96 times” in 41 seconds by police officers after refusing to comply with a routine traffic stop.
The outlets failed to significantly mention the context of how Reed had already fired shots and hit an officer before the shootout began, according to Chicago’s Civilian Office of Police Accountability.
The AP, for example, only listed the context of the situation in the seventh paragraph of a story.
The incident took place on March 21 and has since sparked protests and demonstrations in the streets.
“This is trying to package into some narrative against the police officers and they’re trying to deemphasize the fact that this guy, I think he shot his entire magazine, because he shot at least 10 shots, so it was 10 to 12 shots he was shooting, so then of course these officers are gonna respond in-kind,” DeSantis added.
“That just shows you what I think people in uniform can be up against,” he continued. “Because whether you did the right thing is not what some of these folks in the media care about. What the media cares about is, can they contort that in a way that is gonna cause titilation, that’s gonna get more clicks, that’s gonna drive more viewership, that’s gonna cause more controversy, and they’re perfectly willing to use a faithful law enforcement officer who’s done it by the book.”
Bryan Griffin, the governor’s communication director, highlighted DeSantis’ comments on social media, emphasizing the “agenda-driven” decision to “bury the fact” that the suspect shot first.
