In response to the death of Rayshard Brooks, Justin Timberlake took to Instagram on Sunday to pay tribute to the 27-year-old black man who was killed in a police shooting, per E! Online . The Grammy-winner shared a photo of Brooks cradling one of his daughters, and added a caption where he spoke about the hurt he felt knowing that those children no longer have a father.
Timberlake wrote that Brooks had three daughters — aged 1, 2, and 8. The singer added that being a father himself makes this death hurt even more, and that Brooks should not be dead. Timberlake went on to write that Riah Milton, Dominique Fells, and Robert Fuller should not be dead either. He explained that the four names he mentioned were “victims of racism, violence, and intolerance” over the course of the past week. Timberlake wrote that Breonna Taylor has still not received justice following her death in a police shooting on March 13, and that he is “heartbroken” for the families of the victims — as well as for the country at large.
Timberlake ended his caption with a call for the system to change, as it continues to fail the black community. The singer made a promise to his followers that he would follow up with resources and ways to assist the movement against police brutality and systematic racism. He ended his post with the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter.
While Timberlake received many positive responses for his stance, the comments section of his post contained a great deal of backlash from fans who felt he was uninformed.
“HUGE fan…..just lost by your IGNORANCE. You are misinformed and spreading lies. Could not be more disappointed in you,” one follower wrote.
“And if this guy was white he wouldn’t be on your posts. Sad. It isn’t a race thing. He broke the law. The cops had to protect themselves. Period,” added another user.
Most of the negative comments argued that Brooks’ death was justified. NBC News reported that police responded to a call at a Wendy’s parking lot in Atlanta, where they discovered Brooks asleep in his car. Brooks reportedly failed a field sobriety test and then engaged in a struggle with the officers. He secured one of the officer’s tasers and was able to run away. Vic Reynolds, director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, claims that in footage of the event, Brooks then appears to point the taser at an officer before being shot in the back. His death was ruled a homicide. The officer that fired his weapon has since been fired, and the Atlanta police chief has resigned.
Jamie Foxx supported Timberlake’s post, however, and left a comment in support.
“God bless you JT. This hurts my heart. I appreciate and commend you for speaking out Over this. It means the world.”
