- The Washington Times - Thursday, April 29, 2021

LeBron James doesn’t have to worry about additional viral videos mocking his “you’re next” rhetoric coming out of the Bellevue Marshal’s Office in Idaho.

Deputy Marshal Nate Silvester is in hot water with his bosses for a TikTok video that exploded across various social media platforms over the past week, in which the deputy mocks the basketball star’s cryptic message for a police officer involved in a deadly shooting. 

The officer, Nicholas Reardon, shot and killed Ma’Khia Bryant, a Black girl, in a split-second decision on April 20 in Columbus, Ohio, as the teenager pulled a knife and appeared ready to stab another Black girl.

“You don’t care if a Black person kills another Black person, but you do care if a White cop kills a Black person, even if he’s doing it to save the life of another Black person?” the deputy marshal asked in the video during a fictional phone conversation with James.

The Bellevue Marshal’s Office addressed the matter Wednesday, calling it “a personnel issue that is being dealt with internally.”

“Bellevue Marshal’s Office is aware of the extreme controversy regarding Deputy Marshal Silvester’s viral TikTok,” the organization wrote on its official Facebook page. “The statements made do NOT represent the Bellevue Marshal’s Office. The Bellevue Marshal’s Office always demands that our Deputies engage with our citizens in a friendly and professional manner. This is NOT how we expect our Deputies to act on duty or use city time.”

The Los Angeles Lakers star quickly deleted the “you’re next #accountability” message on April 21 and proceeded to blame his critics for spreading “hate.”

James was also excoriated by The National Fraternal Order of Police after the incident, which was disseminated for the basketball player’s nearly 50 million Twitter followers.

“@KingJames, with his vast resources & influence, should educate himself and, frankly, has a responsibility to do so, on the facts before weighing in,” the organization tweeted on April 21. “This is disgraceful & extremely reckless.”

• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.

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