PROTEST DEATH
Armed BLM protester killed in Austin was pushing fiancee in wheelchair moments before death
THE Black Lives Matter protester shot dead last night at a demonstration in Austin has been identified.
was reportedly pushing his fiancee in a wheelchair moments before he approached a car while holding a rifle and was shot three times by its driver in .
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The demonstration was last night in cities across the amid continuing unrest following the death of during an arrest in May.
Witnesses said that, during the event, a car sounded its horned before turning onto a road where were gathered and heading in their direction.
Foster walked towards the vehicle holding a rifle and was shot by the driver before the car turned and sped away, the reported.
Footage of the incident shows dozens of people marching through a city street chanting "Fists up! Fight back!" and holding signs reading "."
A car horn is then heard, prompting many of the protesters to pause and clear the road before a series of gunshots sound.
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Screams are then heard and the video loses focus as protesters run for cover.
Foster was taken to hospital by emergency services but was later pronounced dead.
Police confirmed that a man was shot and killed at 9:52pm last night during a protest in downtown Austin.
Speaking to , Foster's mother, Sheila, confirmed that her son had been to a number of BLM protests along with fiancee Whitney Mithcell, a quadruple amputee.
She said he was licensed to carry a gun and that she wouldn't have been surprised if he had been doing so in order to "protect himself".
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She added that he had been pushing Whitney in her wheelchair in the moments before he was killed.
Officer Katrina Ratcliff said in a press conference late last night that the person who shot and killed the man had fired from inside the vehicle.
She added that a suspect had been detained and was cooperating with police and that other deaths of injuries resulting from the shooting have been reported.
In a statement, the Mayor of Austin Steve Adler said the city had been left "shaken".
"All I know is that someone dying while is horrible," he said. "Our city is shaken and, like so many in our community, I’m heartbroken and stunned".
Last night also brought including Seattle, Portland, , Louisville, , and two months since Floyd's police custody death in .
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In Seattle, protesters torched a youth detention centre and the East Police Precinct, prompting law enforcement to declare the incident a "riot" just before 4:30pm local time.
In Denver, one person was taken to hospital in a stable condition after being hit by a bullet fired by a protester when a car drove through a crowd.
has already and Chicago, and has threatened to deploy them more widely if unrest continues.
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