Bubba Copeland shot himself in front of police on Friday, days after he begged 1819 News not to expose his private life.

A small-town Alabama pastor and mayor killed himself Friday, days after a local conservative news website published a story that included photos of him wearing women’s clothing and makeup.

F.L. “Bubba” Copeland, who was the mayor of Smiths Station and the pastor at First Baptist Church in Phenix City, shot himself in front of police during a welfare check, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office said.

Copeland’s private life was exposed Wednesday by the conservative blog 1819 News, which was once owned by the right-wing Alabama Policy Institute and whose top editor is a former Breitbart News contributor.

  • @slackassassin
    -11•8 months ago

    This is ridiculous. You’re assuming

    1 That because they are officers, they are republican.

    They may be, but that’s one assumption.

    2 That they are the kind of republican who equates cross dressing with pedophilia.

    Happens, but it is another assumption.

    3 They would act on that belief with murder. Of an elected official, on duty, on a welfare check.

    Sure … could happen. But you see why this is becoming less rational as we go right.

    Yes, it’s entirely possible that they killed someone because they cross dressed, but we just blindly accept this random comments version of events here?

    • athos77
      16•8 months ago

      Honestly? Yes, I’m assuming there’s a decent chance that they’re bigots. And that’s mostly because they’re (1) small-town (2) cops in (3) Alabama. I’m not saying that this is what did happen, but I am saying that we just shouldn’t take their word for what happened either.

      Also? In absolutely no part of my comment did I ever use the word “Republican”.

      • @slackassassin
        -3•8 months ago

        I hear what you’re saying, but it’s terrible deductive reasoning. And you show it when you say it’s not what you say DID happen. And? semantics.

    • @[email protected]English
      4•8 months ago

      blindly accept this random comments version of events here?

      Pretty sure that’s exactly the opposite of that comments intent. They’re providing another unfortunately likely possibility to encourage us to question the version of events that we’re being told by the cops.

      We shouldn’t just immediately believe either scenario is 100% true. But maybe we can ask for body cam footage to confirm the cops version of events