Virginia attorney general candidate Jay Jones has denied a Republican lawmaker’s claim that he once suggested police shootings would decrease if more officers were killed, calling the allegation false and offensive.
Virginia attorney general candidate Jay Jones has denied claims by Republican Delegate Carrie Coyner that he once suggested police shootings would decline if more officers were killed after losing their legal protections.
Coyner told Virginia Scope that during a heated 2020 phone conversation about qualified immunity, Jones allegedly said, “Maybe if a few of them died, they would move on, not shooting people.” Jones rejected the account, saying, “I did not say this. I have never believed and do not believe that any harm should come to law enforcement, period.” He added that police officers “put their lives on the line to protect our communities.”
Jones, who previously apologized for inflammatory texts referencing Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert, faces mounting pressure from critics but has refused to quit the race. Coyner maintained her stance, saying, “It is never acceptable to think that killing people is a justifiable method to achieve policy changes.”