LeBron James Deletes Tweet About Police Killing of Ma’Khia Bryant

LeBron James deleted a tweet Wednesday that showed a photo of the police officer accused of fatally shooting 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant in Columbus, Ohio.

According to published reports, The Los Angeles Lakers star wrote in the now-deleted tweet he posted earlier in the day: “YOU’RE NEXT #ACCOUNTABILITY,” along with a picture of the officer. The tweet came a day after former Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin was convicted for killing George Floyd.

After he took down his original tweet, James wrote two follow-up posts explaining why he decided to initially share his thoughts on the Ohio shooting.

The Ohio native and vocal activist first wrote: “ANGER does [not do] any of us any good and that includes myself! Gathering all the facts and educating does though! My anger still is here for what happened to that lil girl. My sympathy for her family and may justice prevail!”

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He then explained why he took down the original tweet with the officer’s photo, writing: “I’m so damn tired of seeing Black people killed by police. I took the tweet down because it’s being used to create more hate — This isn’t about one officer. It’s about the entire system and they always use our words to create more racism. I am so desperate for more ACCOUNTABILITY.”

Ma’Khia Bryant was shot on Tuesday afternoon by Columbus police officer Nicholas Reardon after police responded to a call about an attempted stabbing at a home. The teen later died of her injuries after being taken to a hospital.

On Wednesday, Columbus police released additional body camera footage and 911 dispatch calls of the incident, CBS News reports.

In the video released by police, Reardon can be seen firing four shots at Bryant. Police said they originally responded to reports of someone with a knife at the scene. In the video footage, a knife can be seen on the ground after Bryant was shot.

“Her family is grieving. Regardless of the circumstances, a 16-year-old girl lost her life,” Interim police chief Michael Woods said in a televised press conference.