A white man allegedly shot a Black Lives Matter activist as he was marching in Schellsburg, Pennsylvania with fellow demonstrators on Monday, demanding an end to police brutality. The protester, who is identified as Cino, survived after spending the night at a hospital, Insider reported.
Activist Whitney Cabal said she wasn't sure if it was fireworks or gunshots when she first heard several pops.
"All of a sudden, we see this older white man come hurling out of the bushes, and he's firing at us," Cabal told Insider. "I was crouching behind my car door."
Cabal said Cino told the man to go back in the house, but the shooter was yelling back as demonstrators retreated to their cars. The activist said she believes Cino fired back after being shot, but he didn't strike the man.
A 27-minute Facebook video captured by Milwaukee activist Frank Nitty shows the alleged shooter standing next to another white man in front of a house. Nitty and the other protesters can be seen running for their lives as one of the men opened fire.
Cino, who jumped into a car full of demonstrators as they tried to drive away, was bleeding from the face after being shot.
“Early information indicates there was an incident between a group of activists traveling from Milwaukee to Washington, D.C. and two area residents,” the Pennsylvania State Police said in a statement. “Gunfire was exchanged, and one activist was struck. The injured individual is being treated at Conemaugh Hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.”
Police said "the residents involved are being questioned."
Troop G will be providing a Media Update at 3:30 p.m. Location – PSP Bedford, 171 Arthur L. Hershey Dr. Bedford, PA 15522 pic.twitter.com/GR1L6ezGjY
— Trooper Christopher Fox (@PSPTroopGPIO) August 25, 2020
According to HuffPost, the demonstrators arrived in Pennsylvania after departing from Milwaukee earlier this month. The 750-mile march is supposed to conclude on Friday when the group arrives in Washington to commemorate the 57th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech.
Cabal said the group marched peacefully through Bedford County until the shooting happened.
"This man came out shooting before we even knew where he was shooting from," Cabal told Insider. "Cino could have pulled that pistol out and taken care of it, but he didn't because that's not who he is."
The Wisconsin native said several children, including a 14-month-old, were present during the demonstration.
"My brain is broken. My energy is broken," she said.
Monday's incident comes after the shooting of Jacob Blake, who survived after police struck him multiple times in Kenosha, Wisconsin on Sunday, as Blavity previously reported.
Cabal said the group was already traumatized by the shooting in her hometown before the attack in Pennsylvania.
"There's a lot of hurt happening right now because my home city is on fire," the Wisconsin woman said. "Yesterday, when that happened, it was really a lot of pain and sadness."
Cabal said Cino is still recovering at the hospital, but protesters will not leave the wounded activist.
"We're not letting this slow us down, even if we have to move Cino from hospital to hospital," she said. "If Cino wants to go, we are not willing to leave him behind."
The nationwide protests, which were sparked by the killing of George Floyd, escalated in Kenosha and other parts of the country over the weekend following the shooting of Blake, as Blavity previously reported.
“We all watched the horrific video of Jacob Blake being shot in the back several times by Kenosha police," civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump said, according to FOX6. "Even worse, his three sons witnessed their father collapse after being riddled with bullets. Their irresponsible, reckless, and inhumane actions nearly cost the life of a man who was simply trying to do the right thing by intervening in a domestic incident. It’s a miracle he’s still alive.”