Ma’Khia Bryant shooting: LeBron James THREATENS cop involved, deletes tweet after backlash

On Wednesday, four-time NBA champion LeBron James posted and later deleted a tweet about the fatal police shooting of Ma'Khia Bryant, a 16-year-old African-American girl in Columbus, Ohio. In the since-deleted LeBron James tweet, the Lakers superstar showed a photo of officer Nicholas Reardon, who is white, with an accompanying caption, "YOU'RE NEXT #ACCOUNTABILITY," along with an hourglass emoji. However, the following day, in a series of tweets, James explained why he deleted the post. And here is more on 'Who shot Ma'Khia Bryant?' and 'Why was Ma'Khia Bryant killed?'

LeBron James tweet slamming police officer in Ma’Khia Bryant shooting

The LeBron James Ma'Khia Bryant tweet was in reference to Reardon came less than 24 hours after he tweeted "Accountability". This was after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin being found guilty for the death of George Floyd. However, James' deleted tweet received a vocal backlash from conservative circles on social media, where debate has raged about the shooting of Bryant.

James, who has long been a vocal supporter on the Black Lives Matter campaign and has spoken out on racial justice issues, stated that he had been tweeting out of anger and should have gathered all the facts, but remains sympathetic to Bryant and her family. Recently, James was elated at the George Floyd murder case verdict but echoed President Joe Biden that the war of eradicating racial injustice in the USA is far from over. James is one of the many coloured celebrities alongside Lewis Hamilton to be publicly supportive of positive updates on racism issues.

Ma’Khia Bryant shooting: Why was Ma’Khia Bryant killed?

Reports claim that Ma'Khia Bryant, a young African-American girl, was shot and killed by Columbus police officer Reardon on Tuesday afternoon while yielding a knife and reportedly attempting to stab another female. Bryant's death has since sparked national outrage.

Police bodycam footage released by Columbus officials shows Bryant scuffling with two other girls, and lunges at one of them with what appears to be a knife in her hand. That’s when Reardon is seen firing four rounds, dropping the teen to the ground mortally wounded. She later died at a local hospital.

James, who played a key role for the Lakers in their triumph of the NBA Championship last season, has been out of action since mid-March with a high ankle sprain. However, he was recently reported to have progressed to light work on the court with his rehab.

Image Credits - AP