A Person Was Shot Outside An Alt-Right Trump Supporter's Campus Speech

The conservative provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos was speaking at the University of Washington after Donald Trump's inauguration. Authorities said the shooting victim may have suffered life-threatening injuries.

One victim out here. We heard a muffled bang. Possible gun shot victim in Red Square. Unconfirmed.… https://t.co/aQ7hNlYpPX

One person was shot and suffered a potentially life-threatening injury Friday night at the University of Washington while people protested a speech by conservative provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos.

University of Washington Police Chief John Vinson said at a news conference late Friday that the victim was a 32-year-old man. He was in surgery after the shooting, with authorities describing his injury as a suspected gunshot wound to the abdomen.

Susan Gregg, a spokeswoman for Harborview Medical Center, told BuzzFeed News on Monday that the man's condition is improving. He remains in the Intensive Care Unit, she added, but he is breathing on his own.

The man has not been publicly identified, but his attorney released a statement Monday acknowledging that there are "conflicting narratives" about what happened and that his client "wishes to express his empathy for the person who shot him."

"He hopes to engage in constructive dialogue with that person, in order to de-escalate and provide a community-based response to this violence," attorney Sarah Lippek said.

After the shooting, a person of interest turned himself in to University of Washington police, accompanied by another individual who was also taken into custody, police said. But on Saturday, the department said both of them had been released pending further investigation.

Also at the protest, another person suffered a head injury and officers responded to reports of an assault, according to the Seattle Police Department.

Police did not make any arrests Friday, Vinson said at the news conference.

More protestors just arrived. Crowd cheers #komonews

The chaos erupted around the time Yiannopoulos — who has written for alt-right website Breitbart and who prominently supported Trump's presidential campaign — took the stage at the university.

Protestors go wild as hundreds more arrive. #komonews

Soon after the shooting, police could be seen deploying pepper spray to disperse the crowds. Multiple journalists at the scene reported seeing protesters throwing objects, including bricks.

According to the Seattle Times, police told attendees at Yiannopoulos's speech to remove their Trump hats and other gear before leaving.

The protests in Seattle were among many that took place in cities across the US Friday in response to Trump's inauguration.

Clarification: This post has been updated to note the victim is 32 years old. An earlier story, citing police, said he was 25 years old and police later revised his age.


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