Psychologist and Pan-African activist Dr. Umar Johnson is facing scrutiny for falsely claiming on Monday that someone tampered with Kobe Bryant’s helicopter, causing it to crash.
Johnson, a known conspiracy theorist, proposed that Bryant’s death is the result of his ongoing legal battle with Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals over the legals rights to his nickname of “Black Mamba.” According to the Atlanta Black Star, Hi-Tech’s Black Mamba product is a set of low-grade diet pills.
RELATED STORY:
After repeatedly mentioning Bryant’s ongoing legal conflict, Johnson said:
“They did not crash because of the fog, that was an expert pilot,” “Kobe was sabotaged. Radar can see through the fog. It wasn’t no wind, the propeller was sabotaged.”1
Hi-Tech Pharma’s Jared Wheat (right).
Johnson also recently falsely claimed on Instagram Live that he considers the NBA a suspect in his investigation into Bryant’s death. In the video he claims to have evidence that his conspiracies are true, saying:
“As soon as I mention the NBA in the first suspect of Kobe’s death, my cell phone get blown off the stand. That’s not proof. It’s still debatable, but it’s a good piece of evidence.”1
Johnson has ignited controversy in the past, and appears to be doing so in this devastating accident as well. In December 2019, he made remarks in a provocative Breakfast Club interview in which he promoted conspiracies about Bill Cosby’s accusers and arrest. In the interview, he claimed, without offering supporting evidence, that Cosby was imprisoned for trying to buy NBC and said Meek Mill was only released from prison to ease tensions surrounding another Black man’s arrest.1 He said:
“They had to free Mill in order to kill Bill.”1
RELATED STORY:
However, users on Twitter were quick to dismiss or denounce Johnson’s conspiracy theory, with both anger or comedy. Twitter user @XGonGiveIt2Yu said:
“The fact that [conspiracy theorists] center the entire conspiracy around Kobe, neglecting [eight] other [people] including his daughter Gigi is devastatingly ignorant. You mean to tell me Kobe died over a legal battle of the name of a f%#king VITAMIN? F%#k Umar Johnson.”1
Source:
EDITORS NOTE: An earlier version of this story did not indicate that Psychologist and Pan-African activist Dr. Umar Johnson’s claim that someone tampered with Kobe Bryant’s helicopter is FALSE. Our story has been edited to reflect that correction.
