A protester was shot in downtown Austin on Saturday night after allegedly approaching a car while holding an assault rifle, the Austin Statesman reported.
Garrett Foster, 28, approached a car that turned onto Congress Avenue where protesters were gathered, according to Austin Police Chief Brian Manley, the Statesman reported. The driver fired multiple shots out of his window after Foster pointed the rifle at him, Manley said.
“On Saturday, July 25 at approximately 9:52 pm, Austin Police Officers were on the scene in the 300 block of Congress Avenue, monitoring protesters when shots were fired,” Austin Police Department Public Information Senior Officer Katrina Ratcliff said. “One adult male victim was located with a gunshot wound. That victim was transported to Dell Seton but was pronounced deceased shortly thereafter.”
APD update about tonight’s shooting downtown. pic.twitter.com/xx5OBow9ut
— Danny Davis (@aasdanny) July 26, 2020
As the driver left the scene another person opened fire on the car, Manley said, according to the Statesman. Foster received CPR from first responders before he died at Dell Seton Medical Center less than an hour after the incident, the Statesman reported.
Foster’s mother, Sheila Foster, claims he was shot while helping his fiance who uses a wheelchair while participating in the protest, she told “Good Morning America.”
“And this gentleman got out of his car and started firing shots, and my son was shot three times,” she said. (RELATED: Protester Sues LAPD After Allegedly Being Beaten And Shot In The Testicle)
Witnesses said Foster’s rifle was pointed down when he approached the car, the Statesman reported. The driver reportedly drove into the crowd and was stopped by an orange barrier, according to witnesses.
Today, I talked to the mothers of Garrett Foster, the man shot and killed last night at the protest in Austin, and his fiancee Whitney Mitchell.
The couple met in North Texas when they were teens. Foster cared for Mitchell, a quadruple amputee, full-time.https://t.co/rqhjZgLgiF pic.twitter.com/ptHaf7qmPa
— Lauren McGaughy ???? (@lmcgaughy) July 26, 2020
“Initial reports indicate the victim may have been carrying a rifle and approached suspect vehicle. Suspect was in the vehicle and shot at the victim. Suspect was detained and is cooperating with officers. Detectives and crime scene are on scene,” Ratcliff said. “There is no longer a threat to the public, and no one else has been reported injured.”
Austin police detained the driver, who cooperated with investigators and was later released, though officials would not comment on the driver’s motives, Manley said, according to the Statesman. The individual who opened fire on the car was also released.
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