As protests and riots begin destroying statues around the United States due to perceived racism following the death of George Floyd in police custody, a Confederate statue in Portsmouth, Virginia landed squarely on one of the men pulling it down, leaving him in critical condition.
According to witness reports, the man was “convulsing” and his skull was left showing after the serious traumatic injuries he sustained.
Fellow protesters and vandals were left mouths agape as the felled statue hurtled down on top of the man.
https://twitter.com/fox_rescue/status/1270888437881716740
Local reporter Brett Hall tweeted about the incident, as excitement regarding the destruction of historical monuments quickly turned to concern after the accident.
Hall wrote, “Man seriously hurt after he is hit by the falling confederate soldier statue that was pulled down by protesters. What had a party atmosphere 15 minutes ago now is filled with crime tape.”
https://twitter.com/BrettHNews/status/1270891276527951876
The president of a local Black Lives Matter chapter described the incident before the man was struck by the falling statue.
He recalls how the protesters were pulling at the figure with cords in order to rip it to the ground. He adds: “there was a gentleman directly in front of the statue, and when the statue finally did give way, it came and fully hit him in the head.
“And we could see that his skull was actually showing. He was convulsing on the ground and lost a big amount of blood.”
The Black Lives Matter chapter president asked for people watching to pray for the unnamed man, believed to be in his 30s.
Some have even called for the identification of the culprits who pulled the statue down, seriously harming the protester, for charges to be pressed in light of their recklessness.
https://twitter.com/ChikaGraph/status/1270906988067794955
One Twitter user who saw the footage questioned whether those responsible for toppling the statue may be held responsible for the incident.
Hmm? If that person did die, would like to know if such vandalism in VA is a felony? If yes, I’d be curious to read their felony murder statute too.
— Todd Brecount (@thebeardedfool) June 11, 2020
Further removals of historical figures are planned to go ahead as organized groups seek to purge allegedly racist symbols from Western cities.
