Former Vice President and likely 2020 Democratic nominee for president Joe Biden sent a message to police officers when encountering an ‘unarmed’ person with “a knife or something” saying they should “shoot ’em in the leg, instead of the heart,” while visiting a historically black church in Wilmington, Deleware Monday.
Full quote: “Instead of standing there and teaching a cop when there’s an unarmed person comin’ at ’em with a knife or something to shoot ’em in the leg instead of the heart is a very different thing. There’s a lot of different things that could change.”
Here’s the clip:
Joe Biden says he wants cops who have someone running at them with a knife to “shoot them in the leg.” pic.twitter.com/uhtj8gQa6l
— Adam Shaw (@AdamShawNY) June 1, 2020
Here’s what some Twitter users reacted:
As a former cop this is the dumbest comment ever. A gun battle lasts 3 sec, all fine motor skills are gone. You shoot for center mass , there is no time for such insane targeting. @JoeBiden you should hit the street and show us how it’s done. https://t.co/wRzhI9cbGW
— Mark Young (@MarkYoungTruth) June 2, 2020
Imagine if @realDonaldTrump said this. https://t.co/zpNh0afAp4
— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) June 2, 2020
Biden wants to shoot em in their hairy legs
— Josh Reif 🔥 (@Josh_Reif) June 2, 2020
Biden’s comments come after the death of George Floyd, a black man who died in police custody. In a viral video, a Minneapolis police officer was seen with his leg on Floyd’s neck for minutes while Floyd repeatedly told him he couldn’t breathe before eventually dying of asphyxiation.
In the week that’s followed Floyd’s death, many cities across the country have seen violent riots, looting, and buildings set ablaze. On Monday, the President instructed governors to crack down on the violence by bringing in the National Guard to curb it.