As two Chicago police officers attempted to deescalate a fight that erupted over a double-parked car on Saturday, 25-year-old Joshua Beal of Indianapolis drew a gun he could not legally carry in Illinois and pointed it at the officers, who then drew their guns and shot him dead.

Amazingly—or maybe not—Beal’s family won’t admit that it was his actions that forced officers to draw their weapons and open fire on him.

When asked about the glaringly obvious photo of Beal pointing a two-tone 9mm pistol at police officers, his family began to dodge and weave like a prizefighter.

“As far as that is concerned, if you want to know anything legal about this case, you can contact our attorneys,” said the woman in the burgundy jacket with the cream-colored sleeves, who identified herself as Beal’s sister.

Another member of the family, wearing a tee shirt and bandana, then made an absurd claim.

“Black people are fair game and target, alright, if they are armed, and that’s just unfair.”

That’s not remotely what happened here.

Joshua Beal was not shot because he was merely a black man in the possession of a firearm.

Joshua Beal was shot because he lost his temper during a road rage incident (and not for the first time) when everyone else involved seemed to be separating and settling down. He drew a two-tone 9mm handgun and pointed it at two police officers who had clearly identified themselves, one of whom was wearing a CPD uniform.

Joshua Beal committed assault with a deadly weapon, which is a forcible felony. He was told to drop the gun (which officers did not have to do; they could have lit him up as soon as he drew on them). He refused. He was then subsequently shot and killed based upon his actions, which clearly and obviously justified the use of deadly force.

Pathetically, Beal’s family refuses to accept the fact that is was his actions which drove this incident to its lethal conclusion.

The same man then attempted to make this a racial issue.

“There are plenty of instances where white americans have had weapons, and they have been taken in peacefully.”

Really?

This unnamed Beal family member is referencing a common Black Lives Matter trope, where it is come to note that killers such as the racist who shot up Mother Emanuel AME Zion Church or the Kalamazoo spree killer were taken into custody alive.

What Black Lives Matter supporters and indeed, this Beal family member refuse to tell is the whole truth; the Charleston Church killer, the Kalamazoo spree killer, the Aurora (CO) theater shooter and other “white suspects” routinely mentioned by name and deed all complied 100% with police commands and never pointed weapons at officers.

You know what?

If Joshua Beal had not drawn a gun on Chicago police officers, he would not have been seen as a threat.

If Joshua Beal had put his weapon down immediately when commanded, he would not have forced the two officers to open fire.

Put bluntly, Joshua Beal  and Joshua Beal alone is responsible for Joshua Beal’s death, but Beal’s family refuses to deal with that reality.

Instead of accepting that his actions causes his death, they want to scapegoat “White America.”

“This is White America, and it’s full, unedited, filtered hate,” proclaimed the obvious Rhodes Scholar in the family. WGN, who filmed the family’s press conference, wisely decided not to give her any more airtime. Even so, it seemed clear that her dim-witted words were reflective of her family’s general position. It’s sadly the view of many minorities, even though it is clearly delusional.

For them, It’s never the fault of the thug attempting to beat a neighborhood watch volunteer (Trayvon Martin)  or police officer (Michael Brown) to death that’s at fault. It’s never the fault of the serial felon shot attempting to reach for a gun in his pocket (Alton Sterling) or reaching for a realistic gun (Tamir Rice), or pointing a gun-like object at police from a shooting stance (Alfred Olango).  It’s always the fault of the police officer.

Except that it isn’t.

In each and every one of these instances, the suspects made decisions that forced officers or other citizens to use deadly force because they perceived their lives were at risk.

In each and every one of those instances, a person was forced to take a life they didn’t want to take because someone acted stupidly, criminally, or suicidally.

People should be held responsible for their own actions.

Joshua Beal drove the events leading up to his death, and this 25-year-old African-America—not “White America”—is responsible for his death, and the Beal family needs to come to terms with their very real problem of being racists.