Suspect denied bail in car attack
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA. A judge denied bail Monday to an Ohio man accused of slamming his car into a crowd of counterprotesters, killing one of them, during a white nationalist rally.
James Alex Fields Jr., 20, appeared in Charlottesville General District Court by videoconference, where a judge read charges that include one count of seconddegree murder, several counts of malicious wounding and one count of hit and run.
Fields was subdued while answering Judge Robert Downer’s questions. Fields said he could not afford a lawyer, and Downer assigned him private attorney Charles Weber.
Downer said he could not appoint a public defender because of a conflict of interest — someone linked to the public defender’s office was injured in the crash Saturday. Fields’ next court date will be Aug. 25.
Heather Heyer, 32, was killed and 19 people were injured Saturday when a Dodge Challenger allegedly driven by Fields rearended a sedan, which then hit a minivan that had slowed to allow the counterprotesters to cross at an intersection. The impact pushed the vehicles into the crowd, Charlottesville police said in a statement.
The Challenger fled the scene, but officers later stopped it and arrested Fields.
The Justice Department opened a civil rights investigation into the car attack, and FBI Director Christopher Wray said Monday it was not domestic terrorism.
President Trump said he discussed the case with Wray and Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Trump, who condemned the violence hours after the tragedy but drew criticism for blaming “many sides,” blasted white supremacists Monday.
“Racism is evil, and those who cause violence in its name are criminals and thugs, including the KKK, neo-Nazis, white supremacists and other hate groups that are repugnant to everything we hold dear as Americans,” he said.
Heyer was killed shortly after police broke up a rally against plans to remove Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee’s statue.