Move over Portland, Seattle, Minneapolis, and Atlanta...
Austin, Texas has become the newest destination for violent political demonstrations after a BLM activist was shot over the weekend while reportedly pointing a rifle at a seemingly innocent person.
...in Texas, protesters gathered outside the Austin police headquarters Monday night and marched to the corner of Fourth Street and Congress Avenue, where they knelt in silence to honor Garrett Foster, The Statesman reported.
Foster was carrying his AK-47 during a Black Lives Matter march Saturday night when a motorist opened fire with his handgun from inside the car. Foster was shot and rushed to the hospital, where he later died. Another person in the crowd used a handgun to shoot at the vehicle as it peeled off.
The driver told police that the crowd of protesters had surrounded his vehicle and struck his car. He also claimed that Foster pointed his rifle at him, Austin Police Chief Brian Manley said on Sunday. Other witnesses and protesters in the crowd that night maintain that they did not approach the vehicle and that Foster did not point his gun at the motorist before he was shot. Some say that the motorist drove his vehicle at the crowd menacingly. The investigation into the incident is ongoing.
Both the driver, whose name has not been released by authorities, and the other person who fired at his vehicle were taken into custody for questioning and were later released. Both have state-issued gun licenses.
In Texas, a License to Carry (LTC) is required to carry handguns either openly or concealed. Rifles can be carried without a license. Protesters are often seen carrying firearms during demonstrations.
Before he was killed, Foster ran into independent journalist Hiram Gilberto amid the crowd.
"They don't let us march in the streets anymore, so I got to practice some of our rights," Foster said on a social media live stream. "If I use it against the cops, I'm dead."
AUSTIN, TX - JULY 26: People walk down 7th street in Austin after a vigil for Garrett Foster on July 26, 2020 in downtown Austin, Texas. Garrett Foster, 28, who was armed and participating in a Black Lives Matter protest, was shot and killed after a chaotic altercation with a motorist. (Photo by Sergio Flores/Getty Images)