Former Vice President Joe Biden downplayed assaults on police Monday — one day after five officers were shot across three different states — by comparing line-of-duty coronavirus deaths with line-of-duty homicides during a campaign speech in Pittsburgh, PA.
“We’re now on track to more than 200,000 deaths in this country due to COVID[-19],” Biden said. “More than 100,000 seniors have lost their lives because of the virus. More cops have died from COVID this year than have been killed on patrol. Nearly one in six small businesses closed in this country today.”
Biden: "Mr. Trump, you want to talk about fear? Do you know what the people are afraid of in America? They're afraid they're going to get COVID. They're afraid they're going to get sick and die. And that is in no small part because of you." https://t.co/LBywpukq9G pic.twitter.com/lGeCAf3Mrx
— CBS News (@CBSNews) August 31, 2020
Biden did not cite any source for his claim, but he appears to be going off of a tally of “COVID-19 Line-of-Duty Deaths” kept by the Fraternal Order of Police. At the time of this writing, it has identified 208 officers who have died from the virus.
Throughout his speech, Biden condemned “unwarranted” force by police multiple times but did not condemn violence against officers from far-left activists. The Democratic presidential candidate called out ” looting and burning and destruction of property” but not sustained and strategic violence against police.
On Saturday night, two St. Louis police officers were shot while looking for a shooting victim. Breitbart News reported that one of the officers, 29-year-old Tamarris L. Bohannon, succumbed to his wounds.
Also on Saturday, Fox 35 reported that a Daytona Beach, Florida, officer was ambushed and shot. A second officer was hurt via a fall during the mayhem. Chief Craig Capri said of the suspect, “His intent was to go out in a shootout. It wasn’t to surrender. He tried to murder these police officers.”
On Sunday Breitbart News reported that two officers were shot and wounded while trying to make an arrest in Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s (D) Chicago. Both officers were expected to survive.
Both local and federal officers have faced repeated assaults from rioters who have attacked police stations and a federal courthouse for several months in Portland, Oregon. The attacks include pointing lasers at their eyes, which may permanently blind three federal agents, and attempting to trap officers inside buildings as rioters set them on fire. Even Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler had to concede that the crowd was “attempting to commit murder” in that instance.
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.
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