An Iowa man was sentenced to up to 10 years in prison for shooting into a car full of Black teenage girls, injuring one, following a Trump rally.
26-year-old Michael McKinney of St. Charles was sentenced Monday for Dec. 6 incident. He pleaded guilty to intimidation with a dangerous weapon and willful injury.
Police say the girls in the car and rally participants exchanged insults as the teenagers’ car was surrounded by Trump supporters. The car then reversed and hit a pickup truck.
McKinney, an Army veteran, wearing full armor and carrying numerous firearms, fired a shot into the car, wounding a then-15-year-old girl in the leg. According to court papers, he later claimed he felt he was in danger and was defending himself.
In a statement read to the court Monday, the girl said that she feared she would die that day and didn’t know if she would be able to walk again.
McKinney, who has been detained since his arrest, apologized to the girl and admitted that he made a mistake.
Authorities minimized the shooting’s political and racial background, claiming it resulted from a traffic argument. Women for America First, a pro-Trump group, sponsored the demonstration.
Trump supporters blasted the police for charging McKinney, claiming that his gunfire saved rallygoers by scaring the car away and that McKinney frequently attended pro-police “Back the Blue” rallies.
Due to McKinney’s lack of criminal history and honorable military discharge, the judge ordered two sentences to run concurrently, with a maximum of 10 years. McKinney is not required to serve a minimum amount of time before being eligible for parole.
