Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was involved in a heated exchange on Thursday with a left-wing heckler who accused the governor of being responsible for a racially charged mass shooting in Jacksonville, Florida.
“First of all, I did not allow anything with that,” DeSantis said. “Well listen, excuse me, I’m not gonna let you accuse me of committing criminal activity. I am not going to take that. I’m not gonna take that. So, you want to have a civil conversation, that’s one thing. Trying to say that I’m letting — that guy was Baker Acted. He should have been ruled ineligible, but they didn’t involuntarily commit him, so—”
The aforementioned shooting, which took place on August 26, resulted in the tragic deaths of four black individuals inside a Dollar General store. Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters, after thorough investigations, revealed that authorities had found three manifestos penned by the now-deceased suspect. These writings led them to conclude that the act was racially motivated.
During a press conference addressing COVID-19 mandates in Jacksonville, the heckler’s voice rang out, accusing DeSantis of having policies that indirectly caused the shooting. The exact words of the heckler remain ambiguous due to the video’s unclear audio.
The Baker Act, as referenced by DeSantis, is a Florida statute. It allows for the provision of “emergency services and temporary detention for up to 72 hours for mental health examination.” This is applicable when there’s a significant likelihood that the individual might inflict serious harm on themselves or others, as stated in a fact sheet.
DeSantis didn’t hold back his response when the heckler persisted.
“No, no, no, there is the truth,” DeSantis said. “There is something about the truth. It is not, everyone doesn’t have their own truth. No, you don’t get to come here and blame me for some madman. That is not appropriate and I’m not going to accept it.”
The governor further emphasized his administration’s unwavering support for law enforcement and highlighted Florida’s commendable low crime rate.
“We have done more for law enforcement in this state than anybody in the United States. Our crime rate in Florida is at a 50-year low,” he said. “We have enacted policies so that people have a chance to live in safety. We have attracted people to come to this state in large part because we’ve had a commitment to public safety. So the notion that somehow we’re not supportive of safety is absurd and we put our money where our mouth is, we put support behind policies to hold people accountable who hurt other people.”
Watch:
Ron-DeSantis-EXPLODES-at-heckler-s-question-Not-gonna-take-that
DeSantis further elaborated on his administration’s stance on crime and punishment.
“You haven’t seen us releasing people from prison. … When you do the crime, you do the time,” he said.
The governor had previously expressed his disdain for the shooter’s actions, particularly the fact that the perpetrator chose to end his own life before the police could apprehend him.
“This guy killed himself rather than face the music and accept responsibility for his actions,” DeSantis said. “And so, he took the coward’s way out, but we condemn what happened in the strongest possible terms, we’ve offered support for Sheriff Waters and the city of Jacksonville, and we send our condolences to the victims and their families who were the victims of a very cowardly act.”
Scroll down to leave a comment and share your thoughts.
