By Police1 Staff
BELLEVUE, Idaho — An Idaho deputy is under fire after he went viral this week for a TikTok video that sparked controversy.
In the video, Deputy Nate Silvester appears to mock NBA star LeBron James for James’ recent commentary on the fatal police shooting of Ma’khia Bryant. A now-deleted tweet by James shared a photo of the involved officer with the caption, “YOU’RE NEXT #ACCOUNTABILITY.”
In Silvester’s video, the deputy pretends to call James for advice.
“So, 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?" Silvester said in the TikTok. “I mean it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, but then again you are really good at basketball so I guess I’ll take your word for it.”
The Bellevue Marshal’s Office spoke out Tuesday, saying it was aware of the video.
“The statements made do NOT represent the Bellevue Marshal’s Office,” the agency wrote on Facebook. “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.”
Silvester was wearing his uniform while filming.
The marshal’s office went on to say that the matter “is a personnel issue that is being dealt with internally.” It’s not clear if Silvester will face discipline for the video.
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