Media has 'tip-toed around' murder of white man by black suspects because of race, writer claims

An accomplished scientist specializing in biotechnology and biochemistry who had recently relocated to Memphis to conduct research at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital was shot and killed in front of his wife and daughter over the weekend, and at least one writer has accused the media of avoiding the story because of the racial dynamics involved.

At around 8 p.m. on Sunday, roughly five months after they had moved to the city, 32-year-old Alexander Bulakhov, his wife, Anastasiia, and their 2-year-old daughter went out for a walk in a park in downtown Memphis. Suddenly, a black man in a ski mask allegedly approached them, stuck a gun in Alexander's face, and demanded his money. Alexander promptly handed over his wallet.

However, the suspect, later identified as 23-year-old Marious Ward, then allegedly turned the gun on Anastasiia, demanding her property as well. Alexander tried to wrestle the gun away in an attempt to protect his wife and child, but the gun went off during the ensuing struggle, seriously wounding Alexander. He was raced to the hospital but later died from his injuries.

Ward was soon afterward arrested, as was 22-year-old Brandy Rucker, also black, who allegedly drove the getaway car. According to police, both have made a full confession.

Ward and Rucker have been charged with a bevy of serious crimes, including first-degree murder, murder in perpetration of a felony, and attempted first-degree murder. Ward is being held without bail, while Rucker's bond was set at $750,000. Both are scheduled to appear in court again on December 1.

As violent and senseless as the incident was, many media outlets have either ignored it or declined to mention the racial component of it, and Mark Harris of OutKick claimed in a recent column that such has been the case in far too many black-on-white attacks. "For the media, it’s another story that needs to be tip-toed around due to the skin color of the suspects," Harris wrote.

Harris may have overstated the issue, as a basic internet search yielded articles from dozens of different outlets reporting on the murder. But almost none of the headlines or the articles made mention of the race of the suspects or the victim, which may speak to Harris' overall point.

"If it were two white suspects who murdered a minority St. Jude doctor in Memphis, the story would lead every national news broadcast," Harris claimed.

"It’s an incredibly sad reality, but it’s the world we’re living in, a world focused on optics instead of facts."

To further his argument, Harris also mentioned the recent death of Las Vegas teenager Jonathan Lewis, who was beaten to death by a group of black teenagers, video of the crime showed. According to reports, the suspects got into a fight with Lewis' friend over a robbery that had allegedly taken place earlier that week. The suspects then attacked Lewis, who stepped in to defend his friend. While the crime occurred on November 1, CNN did not cover it until November 15, Harris noted.

"In today’s insanely fast-paced news[,] world stories inevitably fall through the cracks, but the lack of coverage involving black suspects appears to be becoming more of a trend than a coincidence," Harris said.

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