A 28-year-old protester, who was carrying an AK-47 rifle, at the protests against police violence in Austin, Texas was shot three times and killed Saturday night by a man who reportedly was driving aggressively toward the crowd of marchers, the Austin Statesman reports.
Garrett Foster was simply wearing the weapon across his chest when he approached the driver of the vehicle who had turned onto Congress Avenue where the protesters were. The driver, who was detained by police but not arrested, pointed a handgun out the window and fired five shots, of which three struck Foster.
Witnesses say Foster was pushing his fiancée, who is a quadruple amputee, in her wheelchair across the street when the vehicle turned onto Congress Avenue. The driver accelerated toward the crowd, screeching the car’s tires, eyewitnesses said, but stopped when it hit an orange traffic barrier.
Foster was one of several people who approached the car, but the only one hit by gunfire was Foster. After shooting Foster, the driver sped away. Another person reportedly also fired in the melee.
While the driver told police Foster pointed the weapon at him, witnesses say the muzzle of Foster’s AR-15 was pointed toward the ground the entire time. Police continue to investigate.