A white military veteran has been charged with attempted murder for shooting and wounding a 15-year-old Black girl during a pro-Trump rally at the Iowa Capitol last month.
The New York Post reports that Michael McKinney, 25, fired his gun into a car full of teenagers after the Trump supporters got into with the teens over politics. He told police he fired in self-defense. The four unarmed Black girls were all aged 16 and under, according to We Are Iowa.
According to an Associated Press investigation, the girls were called racial slurs by the Trump supporters during the tense encounter. The protesters accuse the girls of harassing and threatening them, starting the confrontation between the two groups.
The Trump supporters surrounded the girls’ car, and the girl put the car in reverse, hitting a pickup truck. That was when McKinney fired at the vehicle, he told officers.
The Army vet, who was heavily armed and wearing body armor at the rally, has posted his support for the Proud Boys on his social media. He has made anti-Black Lives Matter statements online as well.
The victim, who was shot in the leg, was taken to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
If convicted, McKinney faces up to 25 years in jail. He remains behind bars on a $500,000 bond.
