Incident Details
- Date of Incident
- February 21, 2024
- Location
- Fort Lauderdale, Florida
- Targets
- Rosh Lowe (WPLG)
- Assailant
- Public figure
- Was the journalist targeted?
- Yes
Assault
WPLG reporter Rosh Lowe was threatened by rapper Kodak Black when Lowe and a WPLG photojournalist questioned the rapper following his release from jail.
Reporter Rosh Lowe of Florida television station WPLG was threatened by rapper Kodak Black in Fort Lauderdale on Feb. 21, 2024, the broadcast outlet reported.
Photojournalist Bryan Murphy, also of WPLG, was struck in the ribs with a rock thrown by the rapper. Murphy and Lowe were questioning the rapper 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 a 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].
