The arrest of the suspect in the mass shooting at a supermarket in Boulder, Colorado, has drawn parallels with Elijah McClain’s death.
Following the video’s release, it was widely assumed that the perpetrator was white, prompting many on Twitter to question police abuse of Black people.
Many pointed out that McClain, a 23-year-old unarmed Black man, died after being apprehended by police in Aurora, a Denver suburb about a 30-minute drive from the shooting site on Monday.
One Twitter user said, “In August 2019, cops killed Elijah McClain for “resisting arrest” the night he went to get his brother an iced tea from the store in Aurora, CO. In Boulder, CO, a white gunman kills 9 shopping for food and lining up for vaccines. One cop dies. They take the gunman in alive.”
https://twitter.com/nickwestes/status/1374223227350704129
Another user followed up with, “All I know is ANOTHER white man has walked out ALIVE from a shooting, and Elijah McClain is dead and has not had justice!”
All I know is ANOTHER white man has walked out ALIVE from a shooting, and Elijah McClain is dead and has not had justice!
— 🌙🌵 (@_IxchelNochtli) March 22, 2021
Many are just outraged at the blatant racism endured by police when Whites are never given that same energy:
https://twitter.com/highcaitlynn/status/1374167518047215616?s=20
They always take great care to capture these white men who literally massacre people alive. But 30 miles down the road, Elijah McClain was murdered for minding his business cause someone thought he looked "sketchy."
— Dr. Nicki Washington (@dr_nickiw) March 23, 2021
Many of the tweets that users wrote seemed to have been removed, but one user’s tweet stood out, he said, “Why are innocent UNARMED BLACK Americans like Elijah McClain walking home being KILLED by Cops
While daily, armed WHITE MASS SHOOTERS, caught IN THE ACT of MURDERING people, are being Politely arrested without any Choke Holds, No MACE, not a scratch on them?? LIVE on TV! #BLM”
https://twitter.com/DanielNewman/status/1374279686243647488?s=20
