A sheriff in Nelson County, Ky., said he was glad the suspect shot by a deputy was white because then there wouldn’t be racial backlash within the community, The Washington Post reported on Friday.
Sheriff Ed Mattingly’s comments were made during a press conference on Monday, video of which was posted to YouTube by the Nelson County Gazette.
“We are glad that he is white, and we shouldn’t have to be worried about that,” Mattingly said. “We do not want any backlash or violence in this community because people have been misinformed.”
“The media has not done a very good job of informing the public, and the public is not educated on how the system actually works,” he continued. “We don’t want those type of troubles in our community.”
Mattingly was referring to the shooting of 25-year-old John Kennedy Fenwick which occurred Sunday in Bardstown, Ky., after a long car chase, television station WHAS reported.
Fenwick was being chased by a Bardstown K9 police officer when he reportedly reversed his truck, struck the patrol car and fled in the opposite direction. He then encountered deputies from the Nelson County Sheriff’s Office. Fenwick reportedly rammed one of their vehicles before being detained. While struggling with the other deputy, Fenwick was shot, according to the station.
Fenwick was taken to University Hospital in Louisville and was in serious condition, WHAS reported.
Watch the video below, courtesy of the Nelson County Gazaette. Mattingly’s comments come at around the 12-minute mark.
h/t Mediaite
