Fox News Channel openly told their viewers on Thursday morning that they believe they have thwarted a mass shooting plot by two illegal immigrants that was intended to target July 4th celebrations in Richmond, Virginia. The story has received little attention from CNN, MSNBC, and the other networks, who have largely buried the illegal immigration angle.
Gerald Smith, the Richmond police chief, agreed to a three-minute interview with Fox & Friends at 7:54 a.m.
Rebecca Campos-Duffy
Well. Only a few days after the horrifying Highland Park parade attack, police in Richmond announced they had thwarted plans for another mass shooting on July 4.
STEVE DOOCY: According to reports, it was a tip from an unnamed “hero citizen” that resulted in the detention of two illegal immigrants before they could carry out their plan on July Fourth.
Doocy continued, “They’re both in this country illegally, and one of them has been deported a number of times, and yet he keeps coming back,” after Chief Smith recalled that his officers started looking into the suspects after receiving an anonymous tip from someone who overheard them.
Only two instances of CNN mentioning the story can be found in a Nexis search: on Wednesday afternoon and again that night, when host Erin Burnett conducted a five-minute interview with Chief Smith. The fact that they were undocumented immigrants or even that they were facing charges for having firearms in their possession while not a citizen was not mentioned by CNN anchors in either case.
CNN viewers were not given access to these details, despite the fact that Chief Smith was questioned about one suspect’s repeated deportations when he answered queries at a press conference earlier that day. Approximately 10 minutes in, one reporter, identified only as “John enquired: “I’ve heard from sources that at least one of the suspects was deported more than once. Could you comment on how frustrating it is to have someone come in like that repeatedly and have this result?”
“It can be frustrating when things like that occur — that people who really shouldn’t be here and who are criminals actually continue to be able to do those type of things — it can be frustrating,” Chief Smith retorted.
On Way Too Early on Thursday morning, MSNBC buried the story but at least acknowledged that the perpetrators were in the country illegally. The story was similarly minimized by the broadcast networks.
Sleep Number, Farmers Insurance, and Choice Hotels all contributed to the sponsorship of Fox & Friends. Tell them how much you value their support for news organizations that don’t withhold important information from their audience.
The transcript is below. Expand the text to read more.
Friend & Family
July 7, 2022
Eastern time 7:54
Rebecca Campos-Duffy
Well. Only a few days after the horrifying Highland Park parade attack, police in Richmond announced they had thwarted plans for another mass shooting on July 4.
STEVE DOOCY: According to reports, it was a tip from an unnamed “hero citizen” that resulted in the detention of two illegal immigrants before they could carry out their plan on July Fourth.
Gerald Smith, the chief of police in Richmond, has joined us.
Can you, Chief Smith, describe how you received the tip, what you did with it, and what you discovered when you arrived?
Police Chief for Richmond, Gerald Smith Yes, the tip was received on July 1st from a person you and I both refer to as a “hero citizen.” They made contact with our second precinct, and one of our officers there answered the phone. They didn’t ignore it; instead, they listened intently while taking copious notes, and at that point, our investigation got underway. Our officers began knocking on that house shortly after to inquire about the situation. Once inside, our officers continued to discover additional supporting information for the hero citizen’s claims. And the investigation went on until we had two people in custody. And, I believe, we averted a catastrophe. The only word that comes to mind to describe the citizen who called is “hero.” A tragedy was averted by a single call.
CAMPOS-DUFFY: This is exactly what you wanted to happen, and it’s amazing that it has. So this brave citizen heard a call on the phone? Is that accurate?
SMITH: No, a conversation between the suspects was overheard by the heroic citizen. They were in direct contact with them, heard about the plan, and realized they needed to take action. Numerous people go about their daily lives, but this person declared, “No, I’m not going to continue with my life—I’m going to stop and make this phone call.”
DOOCY: You bet. You notice something, so you speak up. This person obviously said something. When officers arrived, they discovered two ARs, a handgun, and more than 200 rounds of ammunition. We also have this image of the two suspects. They are both illegal immigrants, and one of them has been deported several times but keeps coming back. As a result, you guys are lucky that these guys were able to prevent a tragedy.
SMITH: That is accurate. And, yes, we are aware that there is still work to be done with regard to immigration laws across the nation, but officers simply focused on the behavior—they were observing the criminal behavior that they actually needed to focus on—and that was what made the difference. We can’t discuss the country’s immigration problems because we had to look into them in order to stop the violence.
Gerald, please. very quickly —
SMITH: The officers deserve praise.
No reason has been given yet?
SMITH: Excuse me?
No motive, says CAMPOS-DUFFY.
SMITH: There was no apparent motive, but the officers did have an intention to commit a mass shooting, take lives, and cause irreparable harm. We were aware of this intention because it was so clear. The extent of what this everyday hero stopped is unknown to us.
DOOCY: They most definitely did. Chief, we sincerely appreciate your participation today from Richmond.
