Christian Rapper Lecrae Says He Harassed People With Pellet Gun as 13-Y-O But Cops Spared His Life, Directed Him to Bible
Christian rapper Lecrae Moore, popularly known as Lecrae, suggested Thursday that the shooting death of 12-year-old Tamir Rice by Cleveland police officer Timothy Loehmann for playing around with a pellet gun on Nov. 22 was a "foolish" decision.
Recalling a similar incident which happened in his life as a 13-year-old, the now 35-year-old rapper praised God for the starkly different response of the officers who accosted him back then in a Facebook post that as of Saturday evening had been shared nearly 7,000 times and liked more than 43,000 times.
"Part of my testimony is how I was harassing people with a pellet gun as a 13yr old and was apprehended by police. But I'm still ALIVE! I wasn't shot down. Those cops did a good job," said Moore.
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"One officer decided not to arrest me years ago but instead challenged me to get in my Bible. Thank God for His grace," he added.
A wrongful death lawsuit against Officers Loehmann and Frank Garmback alleges that they acted "unreasonably, negligently (and) recklessly" when Loehmann gunned down Rice who was playing with an "airsoft" pellet gun, on Nov. 22.
"Had the defendant officers properly approached Tamir and properly investigated his possession of the replica gun they would undoubtedly have determined ... that the gun was fake and that the subject was a juvenile," noted the suit. It further noted that the policemen did not provide the juvenile with medical attention for more than four minutes "as he lay on the ground alive and bleeding." Rice died in the hospital on Nov. 23.
Moore further highlighted in his Facebook post that even after he turned around his life and tried living as an upstanding citizen, he has felt the undue burden of overaggressive policing.
"After becoming a law abiding citizen, some things stayed the same. I used to drive my own car all over the nation performing. But I had to deal with the following," he explained.
"I was pulled over 4 times in 1 hour one day in East Texas. I got a ticket for having a frame around my license plate. I was repeatedly asked why my car smelled like marijuana. (It didn't. No one was allowed to smoke ANYTHING in that car. I kept it smelling like that gas station "new leather" spray even though I had cloth seats," he noted.
"I was pulled over on my way to a show and they said my bumper (on my rental car) looked suspicious. They ripped the seats out looking for drugs. (Found none) and left me to put them back in. I was pulled over last month in Chicago after a show. The driver said 'they are gonna pull us over cause it's too many of us (black and Hispanics) in this car and this area is known for that.' The cop pulled us over and after recognizing me let us go. Never said why we were being pulled over," said Moore.
"I have tooooons of stories. I wish I didn't. Some foolish rappers make it difficult for the good ones just like some foolish cops make it difficult for the good ones. Stand firm!" he ended.
