“Why didn’t somebody just do something?”
That’s the question South Carolina State Rep. Bill Chumley asked CNN’s Drew Griffin about the Charleston church massacre during an interview Tuesday.
But Rep. Chumley wasn’t finished.
Chumley offered this description of what happened during the shooting:
“These people sit in there and waited their turn to be shot,” Chumley said. “That’s sad…that somebody in there with the means of self-defense could have stopped this. And we’d have less funerals than we’re having.”
State Rep. Bill Chumley is also a farmer and member of Sons of Confederate Veterans heritage group. He said he maintains the Confederate flag ‘debate’ was settled in 2000 and shouldn’t be revisited.
Stunned by Griffin seemingly putting the responsibility on the victims, CNN’s Griffin interrupted Chumley and asked him to clarify his comments:
“I want to make sure I understand what you are telling me,” Griffin said. “Are you asking that these people should have tackled him, these women should have fought him?”
“I don’t know what the answer was,” Chumley said. “I know it’s really horrible for nine people to be shot. And I understand he reloaded his gun during in the process. That’s upsetting.”