Toni McBride's Gun-Toting Wedding Photoshoot Sparks Fury: 'Psychopath'

A Los Angeles Police Department officer who fatally shot a man has sparked anger on social media after she shared photos of her wedding in which both she and her husband hold semiautomatic weapons.

Toni McBride killed 38-year-old Daniel Hernandez on April 22, 2020. Hernandez, who had been driving a truck while reportedly having methamphetamine in his system, had crashed into several other vehicles.

McBride's wedding photos have sparked outrage on social media, where she was called a "psychopath." One commenter wondered how she could turn a "wholesome family photo into a terrorist group photo."

Not everyone was so outraged though, one comment saying that the picture was "just tacky."

According to the Los Angeles Times, McBride killed Hernandez after firing six shots in less than seven seconds. Witnesses said Hernandez had been threatening to kill himself with a box cutter before approaching McBride.

She repeatedly commanded Hernandez to drop the weapon before shooting him in three bursts of two shots each—the first as he advanced toward her, which made him fall to the ground; the second as he got back to his hands and knees as if to advance again; and the third while he was rolling on the ground.

Hernandez's family have said that he did not pose any danger to McBride's life or that of the other officers at the scene.

McBride was recently cleared by California Attorney General Rob Bonta's office of any wrongdoing in the deadly shooting, despite the Los Angeles Police Commission declaring that her last two shots were in violation of department policy.

Her father, James McBride, an influential leader of the Los Angeles Police Protective League, said she had received no special treatment and added that he was "relieved" at the verdict, which was based in part on the expert opinion of a controversial police use-of-force consultant and has been harshly criticized.

The controversy surrounding McBride did not end with Bonta's decision. She has recently sued LAPD Chief Michel Moore, claiming that the prevalence of firearms in her Instagram profile and her refusal to remove content from the social media site had caused her to be denied a promotion.

McBride's Instagram profile features multiple pictures of firearms, with the officer often showcasing her shooting skills to her more than 120,000 followers.

Two days after filing the lawsuit against Moore, McBride posted the photos of her recent wedding where she embraces a JW3 TTI MPX Taran Tactical 9mm semiautomatic weapon alongside her husband.

McBride has since deleted the photos of her holding the firearm.

Newsweek has reached out to Toni McBride for comment via email and Instagram.