Incident Details
- Date of Incident
- February 21, 2024
- Location
- Fort Lauderdale, Florida
- Targets
- Bryan Murphy (WPLG)
- Assailant
- Public figure
- Was the journalist targeted?
- Yes
Assault
Frame from a WPLG video showing rapper Kodak Black throwing rocks at photojournalist Bryan Murphy, hitting him in the ribs.
Photojournalist Bryan Murphy of Florida television station WPLG was struck in the ribs with a rock thrown by rapper Kodak Black in Fort Lauderdale on Feb. 21, 2024, the broadcast outlet reported.
WPLG reporter Rosh Lowe was also threatened by the rapper, who was being questioned by the news crew following his release from a Broward County jail.
WPLG said that a police report was filed but that Murphy decided not to press charges. Murphy and Lowe did not respond to a request for comment from the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.
In video captured by Murphy, the rapper begins throwing rocks at the crew, as Murphy tells Lowe to “call the cops.” The rapper’s threat to punch Lowe was not shown on camera, but he acknowledged it later in the video. “You threatened to punch me,” Lowe said on camera. “I did,” replied the rapper.
Lowe reported later that some of the rapper’s fans have since come to his defense and issued threats, including one posted on Instagram that read “next rock to ya Head big Z.”
But in Lowe’s earlier account, the reporter noted: “It is very usual in our profession to interview people coming out of jail, especially noteworthy people. What is unusual is what happened here today.”
The legal representative for Kodak Black did not respond to the Tracker’s request for comment.
The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker catalogues press freedom violations in the United States. Email tips to [email protected].
