Sheriff’s deputy tweets Diamond Reynolds will blow settlement on ‘crack cocaine’

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A Rice County Sheriff’s deputy is under fire for a controversial tweet that he posted in response to the news that Diamond Reynolds, the girlfriend of Philando Castile, who live-streamed the aftermath of his shooting, had received $800,000 in settlements.

While the tweet has since been taken down, Sgt. Tom McBroom is still under fire for saying that “she needs to come off County and State Aid now that she has some cash. It’ll be gone in 6 months on crack cocaine.”

When McBroom was asked why he assumed that Reynolds, who did not have a history of drugs, was a crack user, he replied, “History,” according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

McBroom has since tried to defend himself by claiming that his words were being misinterpreted, saying that he meant that he had seen a “history” of people blowing the money they got in settlements, according to City Pages.

“I’ve seen them come to court. They’ve lost their children, but they come to court dressed to the nines with Michael Kors purses,” McBroom told City Pages. “To be frank with you, they don’t have a pot to piss in. …I see it time and time again and I just shake my head and say why wasn’t there anyone to help that person?”

As for why he chose to use crack cocaine in his comments, he claimed that was a pattern too: “I have friends of mine in the Minneapolis Police Department. And you know, that’s an epidemic up there, crack cocaine and opioids.”

On Wednesday, Rice County Chief Deputy Jess Thomas said that the Twitter post was now being reviewed.

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