Virginia attorney general nominee Jay Jones is facing fresh controversy after a Republican lawmaker said he was told in 2020 that Jones suggested “maybe if a few [police officers] died” it would change behavior in discussions about removing qualified immunity for law enforcement.

The remarks were discussed publicly Monday in an interview between Del. Carrie Coyner, R-Chesterfield, and Virginia Scope, which also revisited texts Coyner received from Jones in 2022 that expressed a wish that then-Speaker of the House of Delegates Todd Gilbert would die.

Coyner told Virginia Scope she first received the text messages in 2022 and explained why the matter did not become public immediately.

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In describing a prior conversation she said she had with Jones, Coyner said the exchange dated to a heated 2020 phone call about legislation to remove qualified immunity, which protects police officers from civil lawsuits.

When asked what Jones was referencing by saying “I’ve told you this before,” Coyner said it went back to that 2020 discussion.

Coyner described the exchange and said Jones commented that “maybe if a few of them died, that they would move on, not shooting people, not killing people.”

Coyner recounted the underlying policy debate and her own position during the call: “We had a pretty heated conversation about public policy and pain involving qualified immunity. I served on the Courts Committee for a short period of time. A bill to remove qualified immunity for police officers, which protects police officers from personal liability in their line of duty and their line of work, and he believed that they should not have qualified immunity, and he was trying to convince me to agree with that, and I said, ‘No, police officers have to make a split second decision about whether or not to shoot a gun to protect themselves or protect others. And if they’re having to think about, will this strip my whole family of everything … are they going to be able to make that split-second decision?’ And I said, ‘I believe that people will get killed. Police officers will get killed.'”

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Coyner continued, “And he said, ‘Well, maybe if a few of them died, that they would move on, not shooting people, not killing people.’ And I said, ‘that’s insane.’ But he firmly believed that if you removed qualified immunity, that police officers would act differently, and I firmly believe that it would not result in good public policy, and it would put police officers and the public’s lives at risk if they have to second-guess themselves on a decision they’re making in a moment where someone is doing something violent.”

Coyner’s account links the alleged 2020 comment to text messages she received in 2022 in which Jones reportedly wrote that he hoped then-Speaker Todd Gilbert would die and suggested that violent personal consequences might change political stances on gun control.

Those 2022 texts prompted public outcry when they were later disclosed.

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Jones, who served in the Virginia House of Delegates and was a sponsor of legislation to remove qualified immunity, denied the 2020 allegation in a statement to Virginia Scope on Monday.

“I did not say this,” Jones said.

“I have never believed and do not believe that any harm should come to law enforcement, period. Every single day, police officers put their lives on the line to protect our communities, and I am deeply grateful for their service and sacrifice. As Attorney General, I will work hand-in-hand with law enforcement to support their work.”

Jones’s campaign has previously apologized for the 2022 texts that referenced Gilbert.

At the time, Jones said he regretted the messages and offered an apology.

The newly raised allegation regarding the 2020 phone call adds a separate charge tying Jones’s past statements to a broader debate over qualified immunity and public safety.

Qualified immunity has been a contentious topic in Virginia and nationwide, with proponents arguing that removing the protection would increase accountability for police misconduct and opponents warning it could expose officers to increased liability and second-guessing in split-second life-and-death decisions.

Del. Coyner said she believes the combination of the 2022 texts and the alleged 2020 remark reflect a pattern of comments that raise concerns about Jones’s judgment and fitness for the office he seeks.

Jones’s campaign reiterated its denial of the 2020 remark and emphasized his support for law enforcement in its statement to Virginia Scope.

The controversy is expected to continue as voters evaluate Jones’s record and public statements ahead of the election.

Virginia Scope published the interview and related reporting Monday, and both Coyner’s account and Jones’s denial were made public in the outlet’s coverage.

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