LeBron James Deletes Tweet About Fatal Ohio Police Shooting Of Ma'Khia Bryant, Says It Was 'Being Used To Create More Hate'
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Just one day after tweeting out "accountability" following the guilty verdicts in the Derek Chauvin trial, LeBron James Wednesday tweeted a photo of the officer believed to have shot and killed a teen girl in Columbus, Ohio, calling for accountability.
In the since-deleted tweet, James wrote, "YOU'RE NEXT #ACCOUNTABILITY," in an apparent reference to the consequences faced by Chauvin, who has been convicted of murdering George Floyd last May.
Ma'Khia Bryant, a 16-year-old Black girl, was shot and killed by a Columbus police officer Tuesday afternoon while allegedly attempting to stab another girl.
On Wednesday, dozens gathered in the neighborhood to protest the fatal shooting.
James — a native of Akron, Ohio — has been an outspoken advocate for social justice causes in the past, often speaking out in support of Black Lives Matter.
The tweet garnered thousands of comments — many of them negative — likes and retweets before it was deleted hours after being posted.
In a later tweet, James said he took it down "because [it's] being used to create more hate."
I'm so damn 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
— LeBron James (@KingJames) April 21, 2021