Anti-Trump hysteria turned into attempted murder on Monday evening, as supporters of the president were fired upon by a Charlotte, North Carolina man while they were standing on an interstate overpass in Fort Mill, South Carolina.
The crowd had gathered to show their enthusiasm for Donald Trump’s re-election bid in the town about 20 miles south of Charlotte, where the Republican National Convention is taking place. Around 6:30 Monday night, three men drove by in a car shouting obscenities and insulting the group. If they had simply driven off afterwards, that would have been the end of the story. Unfortunately the car then made another pass by the Trump supporters, and this time shots, not shouts, were heard.
“As the vehicle turned from Sutton Road on to the ramp to northbound I-77, the driver of the vehicle continued yelling and then extended his arm through the window, while holding what appeared to be a handgun,” Fort Mill Police Maj. Bryan Zachary said in a press release. “The victims further stated that, at that moment, they heard several shots fired, and the vehicle then proceeded northbound on the Interstate.”
Thankfully no one was injured in the attack, and luckily for the intended victims, a South Carolina state trooper saw the shooting unfold and sped off after the suspect vehicle. By the time the trooper caught up to the car, it had been abandoned on the side of the road, but officers spotted the three suspects in another vehicle a short time later and were able to take the trio into custody. While two of the individuals were released without charges, 23-year old Marquise Damarius Asomani was placed under arrest.
Asomani is now facing six counts of assault & battery of a high & aggravated nature, as well as one count of unlawful carrying of a pistol, pointing and presenting firearms at person, and possession of a firearm during a violent crime. According to the Fort Mill police, Asomanti has a pair of recent arrests in Charlotte to his name, including one charge of carrying a concealed handgun without a license.
I’m honestly surprised that Asomanti wasn’t greeted with any return fire, frankly. If any group of political supporters is likely to be armed, Trump supporters in South Carolina would probably be at the top of my list. Perhaps any armed citizens on hand didn’t have a clear angle to safely return fire, or it could be that it was simply an unarmed crowd that had gathered to show support for the president, but for whatever reason, it doesn’t appear as if there was any armed response to the attack.
This wasn’t the only anti-Trump violence in the Charlotte area on Monday evening, by the way. In Charlotte itself, two people were injured and seven others in a fourth night of violent protests and riots surrounding the GOP convention.
Around 9:15 p.m., police said about 100 demonstrators left Marshall Park and began to march in uptown. A short time later, demonstrators lit something on fire in the middle of the road at Carson Street and South Tryon Street. When bike officers tried to put out the fire, police said a man refused to move and then lowered his shoulder to knock an officer off of his bike.
CMPD said another demonstrator was also seen throwing a rock, and pepper spray was deployed to protect officers. Officers were able to put out the fire and two arrests were made. CMPD also tweeted that protesters were in South End blocking roads with construction supplies.
More arrests were made after officers said a woman tried to cut down a flag outside police headquarters. Police said she was able to escape when several other protesters interfered. Officers again used pepper spray and four more arrests were made. Two people were hospitalized.
Have either of these incidents made national news? What do you think the reaction of the Washington Post or the New York Times would be if a Trump supporter opened fire on a gathering of Biden backers (assuming you could get more than two Biden supporters together in the same place at the same time)? Would they yawn and declare the shooting an inconsequential local news story of no importance to their readers? Or would they run that story on the front page, along with an editorial bemoaning the shocking violence perpetrated against Democrats who were peaceably exercising their First Amendment rights?
You know the answer. The fact is the mainstream media doesn’t want to acknowledge the monster it’s helped to create; an angry mob convinced that Donald Trump is the reincarnation of Adolph Hitler, and that his supporters must be racist, Nazis, or both. Fascism is descending on America if Trump is re-elected, or so they claim, and so in response they must become even more authoritarian and fascistic than Trump himself. It would be funny if the consequences weren’t so deadly serious, both to individuals and to our Republic.
