Biden Faces Backlash For Telling Police: ‘shoot ’em in the leg instead of the heart’

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:

Here’s what some Twitter users reacted:

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.