Police in Austin, Texas have a suspect in custody in the shooting death of a man during a Black Lives Matter protest in the city yesterday.
Garrett Foster was killed after he approached a vehicle that witnesses say sped towards a crowd of walking demonstrators in downtown Austin on Saturday, reports the Austin America-Statesman.
According to police, Foster was carrying a weapon when he approached the vehicle and the person inside shot him.
Video footage from a livestream during the protest shows a car among a throng of people, then the sounds of multiple shots firing out and people screaming.
Foster served in the military and was reportedly pushing his fiancée in a wheelchair during the incident. The two had been regulars at recent protests, according to journalist Hiram Gilberto Garcia.
Garcia had interviewed Foster that same day about his decision to bear arms while attending the demonstrations.
From the New York Times:
Mr. Foster was carrying an AK-47 rifle as he joined a Black Lives Matter demonstration blocks from the State Capitol in Austin, Texas. Gun-rights supporters on both the left and the right often carry rifles at protests in Texas, a state whose liberal gun laws allow it.
Mr. Foster, wearing a black bandanna and a baseball cap, bumped into an independent journalist at the march on Saturday, and he spoke matter-of-factly about the weapon that was draped on a strap in front of him.
“They don’t let us march in the streets anymore, so I got to practice some of our rights,” Mr. Foster said.
A GoFundMe created for Foster’s memorial says he was shot and killed while trying to protect his fiancée.
Police have yet to release the name of the suspect they have in custody.