A video that went viral in 2014 showed just how dangerous the ambush myth can be. In it, a South Carolina state trooper opened fire on an unarmed Black man after pulling him over for a seatbelt violation. The officer fired after the Black man reached into his SUV to obtain his license. The officer would later say in court that he “was hearing and seeing things that the video proved didn’t exist, but in my mind, it was a very real threat to me.”
