Baker’s status within the sheriff’s department is currently unknown. Neldner’s statement didn’t go into detail.
Earlier, Cherokee County Sheriff Frank Reynolds said in a separate statement that, though Baker’s comments were “taken or construed as insensitive or inappropriate,” they “were not intended to disrespect any of the victims, the gravity of this tragedy, or express empathy or sympathy for the suspect.”
“Captain Baker had a difficult task before him, and this was one of the hardest in his twenty-eight years in law enforcement,” Reynolds said.
“I have known and served with Captain Baker for many years. His personal ties to the Asian community and his unwavering support and commitment to the citizens of Cherokee County are well known to many,” the statement added. “On behalf of the dedicated women and men of the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office we regret any heartache Captain Baker’s words may have caused.”
As of this writing, Rupar’s selectively edited video and his accompanying commentary, the things that sparked the firestorm aimed at Baker, have been shared by more than 38,500 social media users.
Rule of thumb: If you ever, ever, see Rupar share a brief snippet of remarks made by a public official, always look for the full context. There’s a 99.9% chance there’s more to the story.
Reset the Vox counter:
And likely, some at Vox are proud of another of Rupar’s accomplishments:
UPDATE (FROM GLENN): It’s interesting how the media/political/academic apparat is, in unison, echoing the propaganda line of the Chinese Communist Party on this subject.