Boston’s Democratic mayor is being criticized for who she chose to offer up her condolences to in the aftermath of a deadly attack over the weekend. After a man armed with a knife running after patrons of a Chic fil A refused to drop his weapon, an off-duty police officer shot and killed the man. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu showed sympathy for the family of the deceased knife attacker.
Boston police Commissioner Michael Cox said the off-duty officer was in the fast food restaurant around 5:30 p.m. when two people ran inside, chased by a man with a knife who was trying to stab them. The officer identified himself as such and ordered the man to drop the knife. When the man allegedly failed to drop the weapon, the officer shot the man. The man was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. No one else was hurt.
During a press conference on the street following the incident, Mayor Wu said, “My condolences and all of our thoughts are with the family of the individual whose life has been lost.”
“And I’m also thinking of all the people who were impacted here today, in one of the busier parts of the city, with this tragedy. I’m glad that the officer is safe and very grateful for a quick response from all of our first responders here, again, in such an active part of Boston,” she stated:
Breitbart News reports on that Wu received backlash on social media. One user said Wu “bizarrely” gave condolences to the attacker in the case: Other users shared their thoughts on Wu’s comments, one person writing, “Empathy for violent criminals. Wokeness in a nutshell.” “This is insane,” another user commented.
Wu has been known for her lack of support for law enforcement. Breitbart reports of a 2021 incident where a student beat a principal unconscious. Despite the horrific event, Wu continued to oppose having police officers in schools.
Under public safety policy priorities listed on Wu’s official campaign website at the time, the policy priority stated, “We also need to elevate youth voices and let young people lead the way in reimagining public safety in their own communities…That starts with meeting youth demands to remove police from Boston Public Schools and ensuring all students have access to trauma services, counselors, and other wrap-around services,” the policy priority goes on to read.