Fox News host Sean Hannity on Tuesday night said that the Texas officer who drew his weapon on teenagers while responding to a call at a pool party only did so because the teens were “provoking” him.
“When I look at this video, when we slow down this video, the police officer did not pull out the gun on this girl in the bikini here. It was two young men,” Hannity said. “It seems as if they are provoking him.”
One of Hannity’s guests, the father of one of the party attendees, protested Hannity’s comment and noted that the officer still pulled out his weapon.
“If you’re asking for someone’s career to be over, it’s important that we see the facts here,” Hannity said, pointing out that the two teenagers were in the cop’s face and were “mocking him.”
“What difference does it make if it was pointed at a girl or boy?” the father of one of the partygoers asked Hannity. “He pointed a gun at an unarmed teenager.”
“I value all life, but I also value the lives of police officers, and when two people behind him are provoking him, he doesn’t know what’s happening there. He doesn’t know if those guys have a weapon,” Hannity responded.
McKinney police officer Eric Casebolt resigned on Tuesday after a video showed him slamming a 15-year-old to the ground and brandishing his gun to chase away two teenagers. McKinney Police Chief Greg Conley on Tuesday said Casebolt’s actions while responding to a complaint at a pool party were “indefensible.”
Watch the clip via Fox News:
H/t Media Matters
