ST. LOUIS – Rep. Tony Lovasco’s remark that looters “deserve to be shot, but not by the government,” drew a firestorm of criticism in the wake of the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis with critics calling it “incendiary.”
Lovasco, R-St. Charles County, made the comment on a Twitter tweet on May 29 which Twitter took off for violating its standards, according to a report in The Hill.
The office of the Republican Speaker of the House Elijah Haahr in Springfield declined to comment on the remark to the St. Louis Record.
A tweeter who identified herself as Marisa asked Lovasco who he would suggest to carry out the shooting he intimated.
“You’re cops can’t be trusted,” she said in the tweet in The Hill report.
Lovasco’s comments came after President Trump threatened to call in troops to quell protests, rioting, looting and vandalism across the country generated by the killing of Floyd, arrested by four officers on a forgery charge.
“These thugs are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd,” Trump said in a May 28 tweet according to The Hill. “When the looting starts the shooting starts, thank you.”
Another tweet accused Trump himself of fomenting the attitude that led to Floyd’s killing.
“This is what Trump has unleashed,” The Hill report quoted. “Sickening.”
After criticism surfaced Lovasco attempted to explain that his original tweet people had misunderstood.
“Trump was wrong to threaten looters with being shot,” he said in a follow-up tweet The Hill reported. “If you loot and a property owner shoots you, I have no sympathy. I’m not telling anyone to shoot anyone, I’m just saying what I think people deserve.”
Lovasco added in a subsequent interview with the News-Leader he was also not suggesting that vigilantes hunt down looters.
Lovasco did criticize the police for killing Floyd and suggested the lead officer in the incident should face criminal charges.