A man who recently spent at least $ 60 to increase his neo-Nazi online presence was arrested this week for allegedly shooting a woman who took a Nazi flag from her garden.
Neighbors in Hunter, Oklahoma knew Alexander Feaster as the guy who raised the swastika flags at his home. But when a woman allegedly stole one of the flags in a challenge this week, Feaster allegedly opened fire on her. Feaster, 44, faces shooting charges with the intent to kill, assault, and assault with a deadly weapon.
The charges are the latest escalation in what appears to have been a yearlong descent into open neo-Nazism.
Police say Feaster opened fire on a 26-year-old woman who took one of her two Nazis. flags early Sunday morning. The woman, who had been to a nearby party, tried the trick in a challenge, and was walking away from Feaster’s house when she opened fire, according to Garfield County Sheriff Judy Helm.
Feaster is currently in jail without bond. It is not clear if she has an attorney. The unidentified victim was expected to recover from four gunshot wounds.
Meanwhile, the flags had been a monstrosity for about a year, neighbors told KFOR of Kansas City.
“It has never really been a problem. His flags were stolen a couple of times when he first turned them off, but nothing ever came out. This is the first time that it is about violence, “said the neighbor to the station.” He has been cutting through the neighbors’ yards and smiling and waving to everyone. “
The neighbor added that Feaster sometimes went out in public in a completely black uniform with a swastika bracelet.
Feaster has owned the house since 2017, property records show, suggesting that plus The recent appearance of the swastika flags signaled an ideological shift, and not a in public Racist resident who moves to the neighborhood. (Although it’s unclear exactly when the swastika flags were lit last year, Feaster divorced his now ex-wife in August.)
Another indication of a recent change to open up neo-Nazism was the Feaster account on Gab, a social media site well-liked by the far right, including alleged Tree of Life mass murderer Robert Bowers. Feaster joined the site in November and became a blue verification “verified” user. Unlike other social media sites that use a blue check to indicate verified accounts, Gab gives check marks to people who pay for his “pro” program, which costs at least $ 60 in advance for a one-year membership. .
Feaster used his own name and photograph on the verified account, along with a swastika banner and the Nazi Waffen SS motto in his biography.
Feaster didn’t seem to get much for his money. It has no live posts, although it may have made and removed three, according to information on the Bug interface, which is certainly flawed. Gab did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Joining Gab as an explicit neo-Nazi in late 2019 was definitely a strange move anyway, as any fascist who’s been someone long ago moved to other platforms. It’s like trying to build a brand on MySpace as a musician in 2020. You can, but it is quite dead there.
When police searched Feaster’s home after the shooting, they found 14 weapons, Helm said.
Although the swastikas had not resulted in violence before, a neighbor told the Enid News and Eagle that the flags looked like a time bomb.
“I feel like these flags are a disaster waiting to happen,” he said.
.
