One dead after violent clashes over Confederate monument

UPDATE: Officials say the helicopter that crashed just outside Charlottesville, Va., on Saturday belonged to the Virginia State Police. Two troopers died in the accident. They were working with officers on the ground at a white supremacist rally that turned violent. One person died after a car plowed into counterprotesters marching peacefully through downtown. Police have identified the driver as James Alex Fields Jr., a 20-year-old from Ohio. Contacted by reporters after the arrest, Fields’ mother said she knew her son was going to the event but didn’t know it was a white supremacist rally. “I thought it was something to do with Trump,” Samantha Bloom said. “Trump’s not a white supremacist.” The Department of Justice has launched a civil rights investigation into the incident. Fields has been charged with one count of second-degree murder, three counts of malicious wounding, and one count related to leaving the scene.

UPDATE (8:18 p.m.): Officials increased the death toll from today’s violent protests to three after a helicopter crashed just outside Charlottesville, Va., killing the pilot and passenger. Police say the crash was linked to the protest over the removal of a Confederate monument but have not explained how or why. None of the victims have been identified.

OUR EARLIER REPORT (4:20 p.m.): One person died and 19 suffered injuries during violent clashes at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Va. Violence between protesters and counterprotesters broke out Saturday morning and culminated with a car crashing into a crowd of several hundred counterprotesters marching peacefully through the downtown area in the early afternoon. Officers later arrested the driver but have not provided a name or other details. Rally organizers called for the demonstration to protest the city’s decision to remove a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. The demonstrations began Friday and tensions grew as counterprotesters gathered at the site. Gov. Terry McAuliffe declared a state of emergency as clashes grew increasingly violent, with both groups throwing water bottles and unleashing chemical sprays. President Donald Trump took to Twitter to condemn the violence: “There is no place for this kind of violence in America. Lets come together as one!”