A white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, turned deadly on Saturday after a driver plowed into a crowd of counter-protesters, killing a 32-year-old woman and injuring many others.
Later that afternoon, two Virginia state police officers died in a helicopter crash that officials said was linked to the protests, although they did not clarify the connection.
The chaos originally began Friday evening at a “Unite the Right” rally called by white nationalists in response to a plan to remove a statue of Confederate general Robert E. Lee from a park in Charlottesville.
The rally prompted counter-protests that continued throughout Saturday, ultimately ending in bloodshed after a driver rammed his car into pedestrians. Charlottesville Police Chief Al Thomas said the driver has been arrested and police are treating the incident as a criminal homicide investigation.
Here’s how the day unfolded:
Hundreds of white nationalists, neo-Nazis, and members of the ‘alt-right’ began marching on Saturday.
After clashes with anti-fascist protesters and police, the rally was declared an unlawful gathering and people were forced out of Lee Park, where a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee is slated to be removed.
White nationalist Richard Spencer was among those who attended and clashed with police.
Many of the rally attendees wore camo or what appeared to be protective gear.
The clashes between the white nationalists and the counter-protesters quickly turned violent — here, one of the protesters hits another with pepper spray.
Here, one white nationalists makes a slashing motion towards the counter-protesters.
One counter-protester used a lighted spray can.
Virginia police wore riot gear as they forced the white nationalists out of the park.
Police later said that many people were injured from individual altercations.
The violence came to a head when a driver plowed his car into a crowd of counter-protesters, killing one 32-year-old woman.
Multiple people were injured from the crash, and police soon said they were investigating the incident as a criminal homicide.
By Saturday evening, police said more than three dozen people had been injured.
Some people placed flowers at a makeshift memorial for the victims who died or were injured.
Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe issued a harsh condemnation of the white nationalists, telling them to “go home and never come back.”
