Mainstream media outlets silent on cop shooter’s ties to black militia groups
The legacy media remains silent on a recent cop shooter’s ties to various black militia groups.
The New York Times, CNN, MSNBC, and ABC all remained silent on suspected cop shooter Othal Wallace’s ties to black militia groups, including the Not F–king Around Coalition (NFAC), The New Black Panther Party, and Huey P. Newton Gun Club.
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While other outlets covered the officer’s shooting, The New York Times failed to do so. A search for the shooter’s name, the city where the shooting occurred, or the injured officer’s name on the Time’s website brought back zero results.
CNN published two stories regarding the shooting. The first story from June 24, the morning after the shooting took place, has no mention of Wallace’s ties to black militia groups.
The story from June 26 does mention that Wallace was captured on a property owned by a member of the NFAC, which CNN does describe as a “Black Nationalist paramilitary organization, according to the Daytona Beach Police.” However, what’s missing is Wallace’s ties to the group and the group’s violent history.
Wallace’s Facebook page contained mentions of the NFAC, a group founded by John ‘Grandmaster Jay’ Fitzgerald Johnson. He was indicted on federal charges in February 2020 after it being reported to the FBI that he was planning to attack law enforcement in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd. An omission made by CNN. The information tieing Wallace to violent black militia groups goes against the left-wing narrative that white supremacy is rampant across the U.S.
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“The NFAC is a strong law-abiding organization that does not espouse anti-Semitic, left or right-wing views,” NFAC spokeswoman Debbie James recently said about the group.
ABC News reported on the shooting on June 26, after Wallace’s arrest. Their reporting does mention that he was caught on property owned by a member of the NFAC, but rather than tell the truth about the group and the group’s violent history, ABC described them as a “pro-gun group,” known to demonstrate against “white supremacy and police violence.” No mention of the leader being indicted, no mention of what the NFAC stands for, and no mention of the other groups Wallace is tied to via his social media pages.
MSNBC reported on the shooting but left out important details regarding the shooter’s association with the NFAC and other black militia groups. Their first and only story regarding the shooting was released on June 24. The report detailed Officer Raynor’s bodycam footage in the moments leading up to the shooting. The article also noted the manhunt was taking place to find Wallace. However, they made no mentions of the suspect’s ties to any of the black militia groups, which by that time were well known across multiple outlets. There were also no follow-up articles regarding Wallace’s arrest or comments made by Wallace once he was found.
Othal Wallace was arrested on June 26 for shooting Daytona Beach Police Officer Jason Raynor in the head after failing to comply during a routine patrol on June 23. Wallace fled the scene and led police and the FBI on a multi-state manhunt. Officer Raynor remains in the hospital in critical condition. “You guys know who I am. You know what I’m capable of, and it could have been a lot worse,” Wallace told police upon his arrest, according to Daytona Police Chief Jakari Young.