Man Accused of Attempting to Break Into FBI Office Killed in Standoff

    Image copyright: Reuters [via New York Times]

    The Facts

    • An armed man suspected of trying to breach the FBI's Cincinnati, Ohio field office on Thurs. was killed after an hours-long standoff with law enforcement.

    • The suspect, Ricky W. Shiffer, 42, of Columbus, Ohio, was believed to be armed with an AR-15 rifle and a nail gun and was wearing body armor. After allegedly attempting to enter the FBI office, he fled and his vehicle was followed by state police - ending with law enforcement shooting and killing the suspect.


    The Spin

    Left narrative

    This incident shows just how dangerous the recent violent rhetoric and unfounded attacks against the FBI by Republican lawmakers and Trump supporters can be. Schiffer even announced online beforehand that he was going to target the agency as retribution for the recent raid on Mar-a-Lago. Violence and threats against law enforcement are dangerous and should concern all Americans.

    Right narrative

    While attacks like this should rightly be condemned, it's disingenuous to pretend all political violence comes from the GOP. From the violence seen during the 2020 BLM protests, to the most recent threatening responses to the overturning of Roe v. Wade - including an assassination attempt on SCOTUS Justice Kavanaugh - the left harbors its fair share of violent extremists as well, often spurred on by those at the very top of the Democrat party.


    Political split

    LEFT

    RIGHT

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