Former NBA star Rex Chapman pleaded with media to focus on the coverage of Springfield, Ohio, rather than the second assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump on a Florida course.
The town of Springfield became a political hotbed last week after rumors spread that pets had been stolen and eaten — accusations strongly denied by authorities — and sparked a larger debate about the plight of Haitian migrants since their arrival.
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Phoenix Suns guard Rex Chapman watches a game against the Dallas Mavericks in Phoenix on February 22, 1999. (Michael Chou – USA Today Network)
Thousands of Haitians have been coming to Springfield since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and residents say the influx of newcomers has led to an increase in crime, unrest and car accidents. City officials say about 20,000 Haitians are in the city of 58,000.
A 58-year-old man was arrested and charged on Sunday with pointing an AK-47 at Trump. Authorities said a Secret Service agent opened fire on Ryan Wesley Routh after seeing him point his AK-47 through a chain-link fence one hall away from where Trump was playing.
Authorities are treating the incident as an assassination attempt on President Trump.
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“Media, please go to Springfield and report this incident there,” Chapman wrote to X. “Not on a golf course in Florida. We are watching.”
Chapman made clear his condemnation of the assassination attempt.
Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump made the remarks during a press conference at Trump National Golf Club Los Angeles in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, on Friday, September 13. (AP/Jay C. Hong)
“Political violence is bad,” he wrote to X. “Whether it's an assassination attempt or a candidate lying to incite bomb threats against a hospital or elementary school.”
“We can categorically condemn the assassination attempt against Trump. Why can't we condemn bomb threats against schools and hospitals?”
Chapman was the eighth overall pick out of the University of Kentucky in 1988 and was a member of the 1988-89 All-Rookie Team. He played in 666 games for four teams.
President Trump released a statement late Sunday about the second assassination attempt.
“I heard gunshots near me and before rumors spread and get out of control I want you to hear this first: I am safe and well!”
“Nothing can stop me. I will never surrender.”
Phoenix Suns guard Rex Chapman receives treatment on his foot after practice at the Roll Activities Center on the campus of Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona, on Oct. 5, 1999. (Pete Scanlon – USA Today Network)
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