In the immediate aftermath of Wednesday’s mass shooting at a San Jose rail yard that left at least five dead, Fox News turned to former New York Police Department detective Pat Brosnan to give his expert analysis on the developing situation. And, oh, did he ever deliver.
Brosnan’s main takeaway was what he deemed a connection between mass murders and the continued rollout of COVID-19 vaccinations. The suspected shooter was almost certainly vaccinated, the Fox guest made sure to note.
After the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Department held a news conference confirming that there “multiple injuries and multiple fatalities,” including the suspected gunman, Fox News anchor Harris Faulkner turned to Brosnan to ostensibly talk about the crime scene and law enforcement’s next steps. She also noted that the shooting took place near the sheriff’s department.
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Brosnan, a frequent Fox News guest, seemed more interested in centering this tragedy within the latest right-wing narratives on a recent rise in violent crime.
“In a rational world where there is adherence to the rule of law and respect for law enforcement—say pre-the Summer of Love of 2020—I think there would be more nuanced response in terms of opening a shooting, an active shooting right next door to where there is a load of armed professional shooters under law enforcement,” he declared.
“The rules have changed,” Brosnan added. “Crimes are no longer illegal. There is no longer enforcement of lots of laws and there’s an empowerment of these active shooters.”
Having not-so-subtly suggested mass shooters appear to be emboldened by police-reform movements and social-justice protests, Brosnan then tied the growing rate of vaccinations in the United States to a year-long increase in gun violence.
“This is a time I wish I was wrong with my prediction, which I mention to anybody who will listen, that once COVID starts to lift, these cowardly shooters will come out exactly in tandem with the number of vaccinations,” the ex-cop declared.
“You can be sure they probably got vaccinated,” he added about the gunman who reportedly shot and killed himself.
“They were scared to come out. Numbers don’t lie,” Brosnan concluded. “The shootings are up dramatically. Skyrocketing actually on active shootings throughout the United States as we have come through this pandemic. It is terrifying stuff.”
Faulkner, meanwhile, did not follow up on any of Brosnan’s claims.
