After Cop's Murder, Sheriff Says Let's 'Drop the Qualifier'

As police in Texas investigate last night's murder of a deputy, the sheriff of Harris County said the "dangerous" rhetoric about police officers in the US is "out of control," reports Mediaite. "We've heard black lives matter, all lives matter. Well, cops' lives matter, too," said Sheriff Ron Hickman. "So why don’t we drop the qualifier and just say ‘lives matter’ and take that to the bank?" He spoke after deputy Darren Goforth, 47, was shot repeatedly from behind at a gas station, while in uniform and apparently without provocation.

Late this afternoon, authorities announced that a 30-year-old man has been charged with capital murder in the case, reports AP. Shannon J. Miles, who is in police custody, has a previous record including charges of resisting arrest and trespassing. Authorities said they are not sure of the motive in what Hickman has described as a "cold-blooded assassination" of Goforth. (More Harris County stories.)