Former Miss Alabama Under Fire For Facebook Post About Dallas Shooter

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Former Miss Alabama Kalyn Chapman James is under fire for a viral Facebook post where she called the Dallas shooter a martyr.

"I'm dealing with a bit of guilt because, because I don't feel, I don't feel sad for the officers that lost their lives and I know that's really not my heart," James said in a Facebook post.

She's the latest person to discover that speaking your mind can get you in a lot of trouble.

"The video was me trying to reconcile my feelings. Trying to understand why I felt that way and even asking for guidance, but I think people latched onto one word," she explained.

That one word: martyr.

"Feeling like the shooter was a martyr and I know it's not the right way to feel because nobody deserves to lose their lives," she said in the Facebook video.

Her Facebook post quickly went viral – many condemning her for her words.

Her bosses at Miami's WPBT2 quickly distanced themselves from her, saying in part, "PBS does not condone the personal statements made by one of its independent contractors regarding the events in Dallas."

James has spent the week defending and clarifying her words. Words she says were an honest reflection of how she was feeling at the time.

"I don't consider him a hero and I think it's really important for people to realize that I don't canonize him," she said. "I don't consider him a hero. I don't advocate the killing of innocent people."