Jon Stewart Apologizes To San Bernardino DA Over 'Police Shooting' Comment
SAN BERNARDINO (CBSLA.com/AP) — Jon Stewart is apologizing for mentioning a Southern California death in a list of police shootings of black men.
"The Daily Show" host responded Friday to criticism from San Bernardino County District Attorney Michael Ramos.
"They had their facts all wrong," said the D.A., who called out the Comedy Central personality in a YouTube video after Dante Parker was mentioned in Monday's show.
"This is an isolated incident like the police shooting of Tamir Rice in Cleveland or Dante Parker in San Bernardino County," Stewart said.
"He talked about sheriffs deputies shooting Dante Parker in our county. He was so wrong about those facts. They did not shoot him; they Tasered him," Ramos said.
Parker died in August after he was jolted with a stun gun during a scuffle with sheriff's deputies. The coroner concluded he died from a drug overdose and cardiovascular disease.
Stewart apologized to Ramos in a Twitter message that said it was "sloppy" to put Parker in the shooting list and promised a TV apology would come next Monday.
Civil-rights attorney Mark Eisenberg represents Parker's family.
"He was shot with a Taser gun, but I think what we're getting into is a bit of semantics. What we're really talking about is instances of excessive use of force by the police," Eisenberg said.
Ramos explained in the nearly four-minute video that deputies used necessary force to subdue Parker.
"We lead the state in California of officers being killed in the line of duty; why isn't anybody protesting and marching about that?" Ramos asked.
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