Protester: Man pulls gun on anniversary of flag’s removal

COLUMBIA, S.C. » Counterprotesters said a passing driver pointed a gun at them Friday and said “All Lives Matter,” as competing groups gathered in front of South Carolina’s capitol building to mark the five-year anniversary of the state’s removal of the Confederate battle flag from Statehouse grounds.

The driver stopped in the middle of the road and stuck his middle finger out at several demonstrators who were on a road median shortly before noon, protester Kamison Burgess told The State newspaper. He then said “All Lives Matter,” — a phrase used by critics of the Black Lives Matter movement — before pointing the gun and driving away, Burgess said.

Two Columbia police officers responded once the victims yelled out for assistance, said Jennifer Timmons, a Columbia Police Department spokeswoman. Timmons said the vehicle driven by the man was described as possibly being a silver Kia, and that police are reviewing video of the incident and confirming the license plate information.

A handful of members of the State House Honour Guard, supporters of the emblem, had gathered outside the state capitol in the morning. A separate group, the Columbia Racial Justice Coalition, was scheduled to hold an event in the afternoon.

The flag held by one of the Honour Guard members, clad in dress uniform, was not the battle emblem, with its red field topped by a blue X and 13 white stars, as expected. Instead, the group unfurled the official state flag, with its iconic palmetto tree and white crescent.