Almost two years after the murders of Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd and media outlets are still running with “well the police said” as an automatic default without question. This is particularly important in cases where someone with connections to law enforcement commits a crime, like the recent killing of Jason Walker by an off-duty Cumberland County Sheriff’s deputy in Fayetteville, North Carolina.

Fayetteville Police have been criticized by the community for seeming to immediately accept the version of events provided by the deputy. As reported by local news outlet WRAL, family members said the police narrative did not sound like Walker.

WRAL reported that police claim the 27-year-old Walker was crossing the street on Sunday and at some point jumped on the deputy’s vehicle.

However, law enforcement officials later on Sunday said the on-board computer in the unidentified off-duty deputy’s truck did not show any evidence of a collision with “any person or thing,” according to the local ABC News affiliate. That finding suggests the off-duty deputy was lying about the nature of his encounter with Walker. Continue Reading