Sen John Fetterman's Juneteenth Message Sparks Controversy As Incident Involving Black Jogger Resurfaces

However, some Twitter users pointed out a 2013 incident involving Fetterman, when he pulled a shotgun on an innocent black jogger, whom he had presumed was fleeing a shooting. The incident was reported by the New York Post.

Former Trump campaign communications director and Washington Times columnist Tim Murtaugh replied to Fetterman's tweet, asking him to "tell that story about that time you chased a black jogger and held a shotgun on him because you thought he was a criminal?" Spencer Brown, the managing editor of Townhall, shared a graphic referencing a New York Times write-up of the event, captioned, "John Fetterman chased down an innocent unarmed black man."

June 21, 2023

According to Trib Live, Fetterman was outside his home with his son around 4:30 p.m. on Jan. 26, 2013, when he claimed to have heard high-powered rifle shots. After taking his son inside and calling the police, Fetterman saw a black jogger running from the direction of the alleged gunshot sounds and inferred that the two were linked.

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The police report indicated that Christopher Miyares, the jogger, was unarmed, dressed in "running clothing and was wearing headphones." Fetterman pulled a 20-gauge shotgun from beneath the back seat of his truck and chased down Miyares. The Pennsylvania Democrat admitted that the gun stowed in his car was loaded, which the Allegheny County District Attorney's Office indicated at the time was illegal.

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Fetterman reportedly caught up to the jogger in his truck, ordered him to stop, then brandished his shotgun when he didn't comply. Miyares told WTAE-TV that the Democrat aimed the gun at his chest, which Fetterman denied. The jogger, who was not charged with any crime, later explained to police that he had seen children playing with bottle rockets, which may have been the source of the sound that prompted the Democrat to presume him guilty.

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Fetterman defended his actions, saying, "I did what I thought was appropriate at the time. I don't have any regrets now. It was just a very confusing and scary situation." However, Fawn Walker-Montgomery, a former city council member from McKeesport, near Braddock, told NBC News last year, "He was a white man with a gun chasing a black man. ... I used to be on the council in McKeesport, and if I chased after a person with a gun, I would still be in jail. He's showing he's not aware of his white privilege."

The New York Post reported that Fetterman downplayed the incident ahead of the 2022 election and wiped mentions of the identitarian activist group BLM from his campaign site, which had been up until late August.