Ex-Minneapolis council candidate ripped for saying he doesn’t ‘feel bad’ 2 cops were shot dead
A former Minneapolis council candidate has been ripped as “evil” for declaring on social media that he doesn’t “feel bad” two cops were shot dead while trying to save a family of young kids barricaded in a home.
Zach Metzger, also known as Lavish Mack, took to Instagram to make the controversial remark shortly after Burnsville Police officers Matthew Ruge, 27, and Paul Elmstrand, 27, were gunned down during an hours-long standoff in Burnsville on Sunday.
Firefighter Adam Finseth, 40, was also fatally shot during the dramatic domestic call out that saw the gunman, Shannon Gooden, take his family — including a woman and seven children aged 2 to 15 — hostage.
“Is it wrong that I don’t feel bad that the police were killed, but I do feel bad the firefighter was killed?” Metzger said in an Instagram video.
Elsewhere in the video, Metzger — who describes himself online as a “revolutionary” — also compared the number of cops killed in the line of duty to civilians killed by officers.
“2023 was the most deadly year at the hands of police, with 1,348 people reportedly being killed by the police, while 134 police were killed in the line of duty,” he said.
The self-described social justice activist ran as a Democrat for the Minneapolis City Council’s Ward 13 last year — but lost.
Much of his campaign was focused on defunding police and his Instagram is filled with videos expressing anti-cop sentiments.
The backlash against him was swift in the wake of his latest cop-hating video, with many slamming him over the disparaging comment about the slain officers.
“Evil, evil stuff man. Get help,” one person commented on his video.
“Good idea… stand with the guy who killed 3 people with families and defend the guy who held hostage his family,” another wrote.
One person commented: “Who celebrates murder? The crazy left ofc [of course].”
“Thank God you lost your race for Minneapolis City Council,” another chimed in.
Meanwhile, investigators probing this week’s deadly shooting revealed Thursday that the gunman had opened fire on the officers without warning while they were inside his home after negotiating with him for more than three hours.
In all, the gunman fired more than 100 rounds at police and first responders, according to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
Officers Elmstrand and Ruge were both shot inside the home. The firefighter, who was assigned to the city’s SWAT team as a paramedic, was shot while trying to aid the officers, authorities said.
The standoff ended when the gunman shot himself dead.
