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Seattle veteran cop suspended for 'All Lives Splatter' meme after woman was mowed down by car at BLM protest

Detective Mike Brown who posted the meme is Washington State Governor Jay Inslee's cousin and has been a cop for 40 years
PUBLISHED JUL 10, 2020
(Getty Images)
(Getty Images)

A veteran police officer from Seattle has been suspended after he allegedly posted an offensive meme saying "All Lives Splatter" after the death of a woman who was mowed down by a car during a Black Lives Matter protest last weekend. The officer, identified as Detective Mike Brown, who has been a cop for 40 years posted the meme on Facebook after the incident occurred on July 4. Brown is also Washington State Governor Jay Inslee's cousin.

The former detective's social media post, which has since been taken down, showed a person being mowed by a truck and had a warning to keep "off the road." The post, however, did not directly mention Summer Taylor, the woman who died at the BLM protest. 

Taylor, 24-year-old veterinary clinic worker and activist, was reportedly struck down by a car driven by 27-year-old Dawit Kelete at around 1:40 AM on July 4, according to police. Another person, identified as 32-year-old Diaz Love, was also struck during the incident. She was seriously injured and continues to be hospitalized. 

King County Sheriff Mitzi G. Johanknecht, while speaking to the Washington Post, said that Brown was suspended after the social media post surfaced following the incident. The issue is currently under investigation, Johanknecht added.

Taylor's relatives slammed Brown for the alleged offensive meme and anyone else who may have contributed towards the particular social media post. Taylor's father, Matt, while talking to Seattle Times, said: "I didn't want to see that," referring to the meme posted by Brown. "That guy needs to be fired now. 

"I think anybody who was liking (the meme), sharing it or doing anything else with it should be fired," the father added. "I think that's beyond obvious. It's disgusting and it's unfathomable to me."

When Governor Inslee was approached regarding the case, he admitted having familial relationship to Brown in a tweet, however, he also slammed the controversial meme posted by his cousin.

"I'm deeply disappointed and totally reject the language of my cousin Mike Brown who made inflammatory comments about recent protests," wrote Inslee. "The language is unacceptable and just flat wrong, particularly from a law enforcement officer, as we try to heal the divisions of our community."

Taylor's tragic death comes after several motorists over the recent weeks plowed their vehicles into Black Lives Matter protesters across the country. The person allegedly responsible for Taylor's death, Kelete, was reportedly arrested on felony charges of vehicular homicide, vehicular assault, and reckless driving. The incident occurred on Interstate 5, which was closed off at the time for Black Lives Matter demonstrations. 

Kelete, according to authorities, drove around vehicles that were parked on the highway to protect the protesters. The other victim in the accident, Love, suffered multiple leg and arm fractures and internal injuries, according to prosecutors. She reported being "alive and stable" in a Facebook post. "In a lot of pain. I cannot believe Summer was murdered," the post said. "If they thought this murder would make us back down, they are very wrong. Very wrong."

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