Is Beyonce to Blame for Drive-By-Shooting & 7 Police Deaths? A Tennessee Sheriff Thinks So

Yes, you read that headline right. A Tennessee sheriff is placing the blame of a drive-by-shooting outside of his home and the death of seven police officers on Beyoncé and her controversial Super Bowl 50 halftime performance. On Tuesday (Feb. 16), the sheriff explained why he believes the "Formation" singer is connected to the incidents.

Criminals unloaded rounds of gunfire outside of Sheriff Robert Arnold's home on Monday night (Feb. 15). Eight shots rang out before the unknown shooters fled the scene in a dark grey Nissan Altima. Arnold was home at the time with his wife, three-year-old son, and eight-year-old daughter when the devastating events played out outside of their home, but luckily they all remained unharmed.

The Rutherford County elected official, who's currently under FBI investigation for selling electronic cigarettes to prisoners, believes the singer's now iconic performance helped ignite a string of police officer killings around the country. Arnold admitted that tension against law enforcement has risen to great heights since she rocked out on stage.

"With everything that's happened since the Super Bowl, with law enforcement as a whole, I think we've lost five to seven officers, five deputy sheriffs since the Super Bowl, that's what I'm thinking," Arnold told reporters Tuesday at a press conference, according to the New York Daily News. "You have Beyoncé's video and that's kind of bled over into other things about law enforcement."

The lives of five police officers were taken in a matter of four days in nationwide killings between Feb. 7 and Feb. 11. Investigators have yet to provide any evidence that links Beyoncé's video or halftime show to their deaths.

Beyoncé's name has been a reoccurring topic of discussion since she dropped dropped the visuals for the new song. The lyrics embrace unity of the black community, while the footage shows images relating to the tragic aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the Black Lives Matter movement, and more. The multi-Grammy Award winner hit the Super Bowl stage accompanied by black female dancers wearing outfits to pay homage to the Black Panthers.

Critics accused the singer of being "anti-police." Saturday Night Live even realized how big of the story was becoming and decided to make a parody skit about everyone's reactions. In a sketch called "The Day Beyoncé Turned Black," the late night variety show made a mockery of the way white people responded to the singer glorifying her roots.

Arnold currently has a few lawsuits and corruption charges being held against him. Despite his history of run-ins with the law, he told reporters he couldn't think of any reason why he was chosen as the target of a drive-by-shooting, except for his current position as chief of law enforcement in the county.

Tags

Beyonce, Super Bowl 50