Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) lashed out Thursday at an audience member at a news conference who linked his policies to a recent mass shooting at a dollar store in Jacksonville where three Black people were killed.
DeSantis, who is running for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, was speaking in Jacksonville about his stand against stronger public health measures as COVID-19 cases rise. A Black veteran who was not named, but identified himself as such when he asked questions said that he thought the governor supported policies which allowed “immature” people to have access to firearms. The governor responded, “I won’t let you accuse of criminal activity.” The questioner said DeSantis “allowed people hunt people like me.”
The governor replied, “Oh, that’s nonsense.” “That is such nonsense.”
The man was escorted from the room, NBC News reported.
“You have allowed people to hunt people like me”:
A Black audience member gets into a back and forth with Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-FL, at a Jacksonville press conference after questioning the state policies that he believes have led to violence towards Black people.
“We’ve done more to support law enforcement in this state than anybody throughout the United States,” the governor said. The governor said, “The notion that safety is not important to us is absurd.”