The shooter who killed five Dallas police officers last week “feels like” a “martyr” says the first black Miss Alabama.
Kalyn Chapman James was Miss Alabama in 1993. She posted a tearful video to her Facebook page on Sunday morning. James was in a car. She says she just left church and is “reaching out to everybody.”
In the video, I don’t want to feel this way, James says she’s prayed a lot following fatal police shootings of black men in Minnesota and Louisiana that sparked the protest where the Dallas ambush occurred. She says she’s “dealing with a bit of guilt” because:
“I don’t want to feel this way. I don’t feel sad for the officers who lost their lives … I know that’s not really my heart. I value human life. And I want to feel sad for them but I can’t help but feeling like the shooter was a martyr.”
“And I know it’s not the right way to feel because nobody deserves to lose their lives and I know that those police officers had families and people who loved them and that they didn’t deserve to die but I’m so torn up in my heart about seeing these men, these black men, being gunned down in our community that I can’t help, I can’t help but feel like; I wasn’t surprised by what the shooter did to those cops and I think a lot of us feel the same way and I know it’s not right and I definitely don’t condone violence against innocent people.
In the roughly two and a half minute clip, James also says she’s “sick of this,” is “sad” and “hurt” and “something has to be done, period.” She also asked how others are feeling. The video has racked up nearly 380,000 views as of this writing.
The word martyr comes from a Greek word used in the New Testament. It’s translated “witness.” The basic meaning is someone who dies for their faith or beliefs.
Jesus Christ was a martyr. John Wycliffe was a martyr. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a martyr. Here are a few more possibilities. In case you’re wondering.
A couple questions here. For what noble “belief” was Micah Johnson “martyred”? Does wanting to kill police officers and white people qualify?
In a later statement, James clarified in part:
These are raw wounds that are fresh and, while I apologize if I offended anyone, I cannot help the way I feel as I continue to process these events and deal with the flood of emotions that come from witnessing such atrocities — both against citizens and officers of the law. The fact that my opinion was considered newsworthy makes me feel like speaking up was exactly what I should do, because I can voice what so many people are feeling and dealing with and they should know they are not alone. I reiterate that I do not condone violence or killing at all. I offer my deepest condolences to all the families who lost their loved ones this week, including the officers in Dallas.
James works at public television station WPBT2 in Miami. WPBT2 issued a statement on its Twitter account Monday afternoon stating that “WPBT2 South Florida PBS does not condone the personal statements made by one of its independent contractors regarding the events in Dallas.”
The station placed James on administrative leave following her comments.
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H/T: Dallas News