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Reuters
The images of the shooting were published on social networks
Police in Austin, Texas are investigating the fatal shooting of a protester in a march against racism.
Garrett Foster was pushing his fiancee’s wheelchair in the protest when a car crashed into the crowd, his mother Sheila Foster told the US media.
When the protesters approached the car, someone inside the vehicle opened fire on the group.
Mr. Foster was taken to the hospital, but was pronounced dead shortly thereafter. Police have arrested a suspect.
Tributes were paid to Garrett Foster on social media, and on Sunday afternoon an online fundraiser had raised more than $ 67,000 (£ 52,400).
Protests against racism and police brutality, and in support of Black Lives Matter, have been taking place across the United States since the murder of George Floyd in May.
Portland, Oregon in particular, has seen 58 consecutive days of protests, which have been exacerbated by the deployment of federal agents by the Department of Homeland Security. Officers have frequently used tear gas, explosive grenades and impact munitions on protesters.
On Saturday, marches were held in various cities in solidarity with activists in Portland – Austin; Seattle; Louisville, Kentucky; Aurora, Colorado; New York; Omaha, Nebraska; Oakland and Los Angeles in California; and Richmond in Virginia.
Sheila Foster told ABC Good Morning America on Sunday that her son and fiancee, Whitney Mitchell, had been participating in protests against police brutality for more than 50 days.
“He was doing it because he had great confidence in justice and was very much against police brutality, and he wanted to support his fiancee,” he told the program “His fiancee is African American.”
In a statement shortly after the shooting, a police spokesperson did not identify the victim, but said they had seen him with a rifle. Later, the New York Times reported that he was carrying an AK-47, as were other protesters.
Carrying rifles is common in protests in Texas, which has liberal gun laws.
Ms. Foster added that “it would not surprise her” if her son had been carrying a gun, since he had a license to carry it and “would have felt the need to protect himself.”
Before the shooting, Foster spoke to freelance journalist Hiram Gilberto García about carrying the rifle at the protest.
“They no longer let us march on the streets, so I was able to practice some of our rights,” he said, in a live broadcast on social media. “(But) if I use it against the police, I’m dead.”
