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Ilhan Omar ripped for tweet about Boulder shooting suspect’s race

Rep. Ilhan Omar is taking heat for tweeting about how “narratives” change based on a suspect’s “race or ethnicity” in the wake of the Colorado massacre.

“The shooter’s race or ethnicity seems front and center when they aren’t white,” Omar (D-Minn.) wrote Tuesday. “Otherwise, it’s just a mentally ill young man having a bad day.

“Narratives drive our responses to awful crimes committed against innocent people, pay attention to these responses and who is targeted,” the tweet said.

The congresswoman was referring to Boulder suspect Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa — the Syrian-born alleged gunman who opened fire inside a King Soopers grocery store on Monday, killing 10 people.

“The shooter’s race or ethnicity seems front and center when they aren’t white,” Ilhan Omar wrote on March 23, 2021. AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

Her post also took a swipe at the treatment of Robert Aaron Long, the white man charged with gunning down eight people — including six Asian women — at spas and massage parlors in the Atlanta area. Police later described Long as having had a “really bad day” — which stoked rage from critics.

Boulder shooting suspect Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa was charged with killing 10 people. Boulder Police Department via AP

Washington Free Beacon executive editor Brent Scher was quick to point out that many misidentified Alissa as being white before more details about his background emerged.

People lay flowers at a growing memorial at the scene a day after Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa allegedly killed 10 people in Boulder, Colorado. EPA/BRENDAN DAVIS

“This shooter’s race and ethnicity was front and center yesterday when we didn’t even know what it was and just assumed it was white,” Scher wrote in response to Omar’s tweet.

Others accused Omar of being hypocritical.

People gather at a memorial outside King Soopers on March 23, 2021. Bethany Baker/The Coloradoan via USA TODAY NETWORK/Sipa USA

“Starts with obviously untrue sentence,” wrote Caleb Howe, the editor of Mediaite. “Follow with debunked smear perpetrated by Aaron Rupar. Decries ‘narratives’ to push narrative. Yep, that’s an Ilhan Omar tweet alright.”

Robert Aaron Long, the man accused of fatally shooting eight people at three massage parlors near Atlanta, Georgia, on March 16, 2021. Crisp County Sheriff's Office

“This literally works both ways, [Omar] so take your own advice,” RedState editor-at-large Kira Davis added. “Maybe that’s how we find justice instead of hyperventilating to blame each other about everything all the time. I invite you – as a leader – to take the first step and then keep walking forward.”