In discussing the police killing of unarmed African American Terence Crutcher in Tulsa, Fox News’ Pete Hegseth likened the police officer’s situation to being a soldier in Iraq: If you think someone is acting menacingly, it’s OK to shoot him!
For a discussion on the Crutcher killing on the Outnumbered show, Fox News couldn’t be bothered to find a real expert either on policing, community relations or criminal justice reform. Instead, we got Fox News pundits plus the show's #OneLuckyGuy, Hegseth.
That isn’t to say that Democrat Julie Roginsky didn’t do a yeoman’s job. “I find it interesting in some quarters that people are more outraged about Colin Kaepernick taking the knee than they are about an unarmed black man being shot in Tulsa,” she said, as a shot over the bow.
Hegseth interrupted to call that a “false narrative.” For some reason, Hegseth seemed particularly exercised at the idea that people are upset over Crutcher’s killing.
HEGSETH: If a cop’s telling you to stop, stop! And if you don’t stop and you reach into your window, that’s a problem!
ROGINSKY: That’s the cop’s assertion
HEGSETH: That’s a pretty fair assertion, in my mind.
As CNN reported, there are disputes about what happened. In a video, “Crutcher can be seen with his hands raised above his head prior to his death,” CNN noted. However, Crutcher appears to drop one hand when he reaches his vehicle. The police say he was reaching inside. Crutcher’s family says the window was closed, and CNN reporter Ana Cabrera agreed that that appeared to be the case from the police video. She also noted that the officer who shot Crutcher had a taser but did not use it.
But Hegseth, whose main credentials seem to be military service, suggested that if a police officer perceives a threat, real or not, she’s entitled to shoot to kill.
HEGSETH: As a platoon leader, who’s been in Iraq and seen guys make difficult decisions, people perceive threats differently. You can’t get inside everyone’s head at the immediate moment.
There’s one big problem with that analogy: The United States is not a war zone and unarmed civilians are not supposed to be treated like the enemy.
Watch it below, from the September 21, 2016 Outnumbered.