In Seattle, one protester died Saturday night and another was in serious condition after a car drove into a protest on a closed section of Interstate 5, according to authorities.
Seattle resident, Summer Taylor, 24, died Saturday night at Harborview Medical Center, a UW Medicine spokeswoman said. Another protester, Diaz Love, 32, of Portland, Oregon, hospitalized in serious condition.
Both had live-streamed the protest before getting injured, according to The Seattle Times.
A small group of protestors gathered on a closed section of Interstate 5 during the early hours of Saturday morning, which had been blocked off by the authorities, according to Trooper Chase Van Cleave, Washington State Patrol.
The Seattle protest was organized for the killing of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis in May. The silent protesters were on the highway for a little over an hour when a “white car drove southbound through a blockade and toward the protesters at a ‘high rate of speed,’ striking both victims,” Trooper Van Cleave said.
The car driver continued southbound for more than a mile and then stopped.
According to Trooper Van Cleave, the driver as identified as Dawit Kelete, 27, who was later booked into the King County Jail on Saturday morning on a charge of vehicular assault.
Kelete underwent a sobriety test and the results showed he was not under the influence, per the police report. The officials described him as being “reserved” and “sullen.” They said he asked about the conditions of the injured protesters.
Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan tweeted, “Early this morning two women were hit by a car and very seriously injured while peacefully protesting. Many others were almost hit and witnessed this horrific event. Our city stands beside their friends, families, and loved ones in praying for these women and all who were there.”
On Saturday, a GoFundMe campaign, which helped cover medical expenses for Summer Taylor, said, “Summer is an incredibly strong and independent spirit. They are a bright and caring person whose presence elicits joy and laughter in others.” Taylor worked at Urban Animal, a veterinary clinic. Her friend Keenan Camacho said Taylor was one of their “biggest supporters.”
