LeBron James says he ‘fuelled wrong conversation’ about Ma’Khia Bryant shooting

LeBron James has expressed regret over a tweet he posted last month relating to the death of teenager Ma’Khia Bryant, who was shot by a policeman in Ohio last month.

James included a link to a Vox article written by race reporter Fabiola Cineas that criticised Columbus Police Officer Nicholas Reardon’s decision to shoot 16-year-old Bryant when it appeared as though she was about to stab another woman.

James appeared to be referencing a tweet he posted shortly after Bryant was killed on 20 April, which featured a photo of Reardon and the caption: “YOU’RE NEXT #ACCOUNTABILITY.” He deleted the tweet amid accusations that it was inciting violence against police officers.

“I fuelled the wrong conversation about Ma’Khia Bryant and I owe it to her and this movement to change it,” the Los Angeles Lakers star wrote on Twitter.

“Thank you to @fabiolacineas for educating us about Ma’Khia and her story and why this needs to be about her.”

In his Vox article, Cineas argued that Reardon could have done more to deescalate the situation before shooting Byrant, citing crisis response experts.

Reardon was put on administrative leave following the fatal shooting amid investigations by the relevant authorities.

The incident occurred 20 minutes before Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer, was convicted of second and third-degree murder and manslaughter for the fatal arrest of George Floyd in May 2020.

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