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“It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool,” goes the old saw, “than to speak and remove all doubt.”
Now adding himself to the long list of public figures who have failed to heed this ancient wisdom is Stephen Redfearn, chief of the Boulder, Colo., police department. On Sunday afternoon, addressing reporters regarding the terrorist attack that had occurred in the city about two hours earlier, Redfearn said, “It would be irresponsible of me to speculate right now on motive and other things.”
Bear in mind that as Chief Redfearn spoke, videos of the shirtless suspect shouting about Palestine while his victims writhed in pain nearby had already been circulating online and seen by perhaps millions of people. Bear in mind also that the victims of the attack had gathered in that spot, as they have since October 2023, to call for the release of the remaining hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. Surely, Chief Redfearn was aware of these facts as he faced the cameras Sunday afternoon.
“The FBI is already calling it a targeted terror attack,” said a reporter. “Would you also refer to it as a terror attack?”
The chief wouldn’t give an inch. “We are not calling it a terror attack at this point,” he said. “Again, it’s way too early to speculate motive. I know there’s a lot out there on social media, but I ask people to give us just a little bit patience while we work through a really complex scene.
