Fox News host Brian Kilmeade was forced to apologize following intense backlash after saying that homeless people with mental health issues should be "killed with forced poison injections." Kilmeade made the remarks during the September 10 episode of Fox & Friends while discussing the stabbing death of 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a train in Charlotte, North Carolina, on August 22.
The accused, 34-year-old homeless man DeCarlos Brown Jr., has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and has 14 prior criminal records.
Responding to a co-host who said homeless and mentally ill people should be "imprisoned" to prevent crimes, Kilmeade added, "Or forced poison injection. I mean kill them."
These comments were strongly criticized by many, including California Governor Gavin Newsom.
On September 14, Kilmeade said on the program, "We were discussing that homeless and mentally ill people should be institutionalized or imprisoned to prevent such attacks from happening again. I wrongly suggested poison injections. That was an extremely thoughtless comment. There are many homeless and mentally ill people who don't act like the perpetrator in North Carolina. They deserve empathy and compassion."
Former U.S. President Donald Trump called for a speedy trial and death penalty for the attacker. Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles said the tragedy once again showed that homelessness and mental health problems cannot be solved by punishment alone.
The Department of Justice charged Brown Jr. with "causing death on public transportation," a charge that can carry life imprisonment or the death penalty.
