While Fox News Channel has run a number reports on a manhunt for a man who shot a police officer during an arrest in Pennsylvania, the other networks have mostly ignored the story in spite of there being video of the shooting. It must not match the narrative when police officers are endangered by suspects. They prefer to harp on suspects endangered by police.
After running one brief on last Monday's show, Fox & Friends followed up with three briefs on Tuesday's program, showing surveillance video of the shooting that was released. At 6:13 a.m. Eastern, news reader Jillian Mele informed viewers: "So let's begin with this because a manhunt intensifies for the suspect accused of shooting a Pennsylvania police officer. Dramatic video shows the moment Koby Francis escaped."
She then recounted that the suspect, Koby Francis, had managed to hide a gun while he was arrested and then shot the arresting officer, Geriasimos Athans, outside the police station while wearing handcuffs:
As McKeesport police officer Geriasimos Athans opens the door, Francis shoots him three times with a gun --a hidden gun. Athans returns fire as Francis runs away in handcuffs. The 22-year-old was apparently checked for weapons during his arrest for violating a protection from abuse order. Athans is expected to be out of the hospital soon.
Tuesday's Good Morning America on ABC also picked up on the video, showing it to viewers at 7:31 a.m. in a 25-second brief. Fill-in co-host T.J. Holmes recalled:
That urgent manhunt under way this morning, a 22-year-old suspect at large. Pennsylvania police considering Koby Francis armed and dangerous after the shocking surveillance footage showing him shoot a police officer at point-blank range when the officer opens the door to the cruiser to bring him into the police station. The officer, Gerry Athans, is now in stable condition at home with his family.
Otherwise, the other networks that are often so quick to second-guess police officers who shoot suspects who resist arrest, have not given any attention to the story.
Even Good Morning America, on the same show, spent substantially more time on another story aimed at portraying police officers as irresponsible and possibly racist as the show devoted three minutes and 42 seconds to a report about an African American man in Virginia Beach who was wrongfully arrested because of a case of mistaken identity.
And, on Tuesday's World News Tonight on ABC, as the show did not inform viewers of the officer who was shot in Pennsylvania, they did spend one minute and 23 seconds on an innocent black man in South Carolina who was forced out of his own home by police during a manhunt when they mistakenly thought the suspects might have gone inside.
Tuesday's Fox & Friends was sponsored in part by USAA, and the same day's Good Morning America was sponsored by CARFAX. Let them know you appreciate them sponsoring news shows that show their viewers how dangerous it can be for police officers to do their job to protect us all.
