A former beauty queen, who was crowned Miss Alabama in 1993, has said that she is having a tough time trying to feel sad for the Dallas police officers killed last week and feels that the shooter was a “martyr.”
Kalyn Chapman James took to Facebook on Sunday, July 10, to share a tearful video in which she expressed her feelings and tried to explain why she was feeling the way she did.
"And I know it's not the right way to feel because nobody deserves to lose their lives," she said. "But I'm so torn up in my heart about seeing these men, these black men, being gunned down in our community ... I wasn't surprised by what the shooter did to those cops and I think a lot of us feel the same way and I know it's not right and I definitely don't condone violence against innocent people."
She went on to say that she couldn’t help feeling like the shooter was “a martyr.”
The comments in her video drew tons of backlash from the employer she now works for in Miami and the Miss Alabama Organization. Both distanced themselves from her remarks and said that they do not agree with her opinions or condone what she said about the shooter or the deaths of the officers in Dallas. She has been placed on administrative leave by her employer.
James told a local TV station in Alabama that since posting the video she has received threats of violence from many who were angry about what she said. She has now apologized for her comments.
Five law enforcement members in Dallas were killed last Thursday while watching over what was supposed to be a peaceful protest following the fatal shootings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile.
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