Fox Downplays Story of Iowa Cop Killer Who Backed Trump

(Mugshot of Convicted Iowa Cop Killer Scott Michael Greene)

In a story that received relatively minimal attention from media outlets like Fox (compared to the coverage they had given two other recent shootings of police officers), Des Moines police Sgt. Anthony "Tony" Beminio (38) and Urbandale police Officer Justin Martin (24) were ambushed and murdered by Greene in the early hours on November 2nd of last year.

(Iowa Police Officers Tony Beminio and Justin Martin - image from gettyimages.com)

The background on this case starts on October 14th when police asked Greene to leave an Urbandale High School football game. Greene had been taunting numerous black attendees in the crowd by approaching them and waving a Confederate flag. The police initially tried to reason with Greene, explaining why his actions were unacceptable and could lead to further disruptions. When he ignored their request, police removed Greene from the stadium.

According to reports, Greene couldn't let the issue drop. Over the next few weeks he continued to rant online about the incident and about his treatment by the police officers. Then, less than three weeks later, on November 1st, Greene was found guilty of beating and financially exploiting his 66-year old mother.

The next morning, at approximately 1 a.m., Greene fired over twenty rounds from his rifle into the patrol car of rookie officer Martin, killing him. After leaving the scene, Greene came across Sgt. Beminio about two miles away in his squad car and fatally shot him. Greene hid the murder weapon in a wooded area and, later that day, turned himself in to a Department of Natural Resources employee, about 35 miles from the crime scenes.

(Police outside of cop killer's home - image from gettyimages.com)

The 46-year old Greene actually lived in the basement of his mother's house in Urbandale, a Des Moines suburb. It was reported that Greene has at least three children and also was at least $10,000 in debt. As seen above, Greene had recently placed a huge Trump/Pence sign on his mother's front lawn.

After initial excitement in the far right media and their followers on social media that this might be a third recent case of a black man killing police officers, Fox and others became conspicuously silent following the published photos of Greene and his pro-Trump sentiments. The murders occurred in the final week of last year's heated Presidential campaign, and at least you have to give Fox credit for consistency: as supporters of the Trump agenda, they reported ad nauseam every scurrilous Hillary Clinton rumor that was floated, but they knew when to lay low or make excuses on stories that might have hurt Mr. Trump.

As far as we're concerned, ambushes of police officers need to be reported consistently for what they are, regardless of the details: cowardly acts by individuals who are mad at society or mad at the government and who flail out in an attempt to get even with whatever wrongs they perceive have been inflicted on them. It is critical that we understand why these people have come to feel the way they do, and attempt to mitigate any similar beliefs that others may share, so as not to see these actions repeated, rather than fanning the flames for financial gain or for votes as too many political commentators and politicians, particularly on the right, have a want to do.