A woman who became the first black Miss Alabama triggered a fierce backlash by expressing mixed emotions about the attack that killed five police officers in Dallas.
Kalyn Chapman James, who was crowned Miss Alabama in 1993, recorded an emotional video message (above) Sunday morning after leaving church, calling the attacker a “martyr.”
In the status message, James, a model and Miami TV host, wrote: “I don’t want to feel this way…”
James said she was wrestling with feelings of guilt for viewing the shooter, Micah Johnson, as a “martyr.”
Police said Johnson opened fire on officers Thursday night because he was upset over police shootings of black men and was trying to kill as many white cops as he could.
“I don’t feel sad for the officers that lost their lives and I know that that’s really not my heart. I value — I value human life. And I want to feel sad for them, but I can’t help but feeling like the shooter was a martyr, and I know it’s not the right way to feel because nobody deserves to lose their lives,” she said, recognizing that the officers had families and “didn’t deserve to die.”