Two suspects were arrested Tuesday night in connection with the shooting of a motorist at a Black Lives Matter protest in Provo, Utah.
Provo police charged Jesse Taggart, 33, with attempted aggravated murder, aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury, rioting, threatening the use of a weapon during a fight, criminal mischief, and firing a weapon near a highway. Samantha Darling, 27, was charged with obstruction of justice and rioting.
Attempted Aggravated Murder, Aggravated Assault Causing Serious Bodily Injury, Rioting, Threatening Use of a Weapon in a Fight or Quarrel, Criminal Mischief, Firing a Weapon Near a Highway.
— Provo Police (@ProvoPolice) July 1, 2020
Deseret News, a news outlet based in Salt Lake City, UT, reported on the arrests:
Two people were arrested Tuesday night in connection with the shooting of a motorist during a protest near the Provo Police Department the night before.
The victim, a 60-year-old Provo resident, remained hospitalized Tuesday but was “stable,” according to police. The man was not part of the protest or counterprotest that had been going on, but was just driving in the area, said Provo Police Sgt. Nisha King.
Tuesday night, King confirmed two people had been arrested in connection with the shooting. Jesse Taggart, 33, of Salt Lake City, was arrested for investigation of attempted aggravated murder, King said. He also faces allegations of aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury, rioting, threatening use of a weapon in a fight, criminal mischief and firing a weapon near a highway.
Samantha Darling, 27, of Ogden, was arrested for investigation of obstruction of justice and rioting.
Journalist Andy Ngo shared purported social media posts by Taggart and Darling, alleging that their profiles expressed support for the Black Lives Matter campaign and movement. Darling’s purported Facebook profile features a banner image of a Black Lives Matter sign with a black revolutionary fist and rainbow integrated into her profile photo.
Taggart had a mask pulled under his chin when his mugshot was taken.
Samantha Darling, 27, of Ogden, Utah, was arrested at the Black Lives Matter riot in Provo. She's been charged with obstruction of justice & rioting. Her social media posts are filled with support for BLM. https://t.co/LG7vv72U8G pic.twitter.com/3t2FVSWbq2
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) July 1, 2020
Video of the event was captured and shared on social media.
Here's video of what appears to be the moment a protester fired a gun at an SUV driver during a protest in Provo last night. If you have any information about this person, you're asked to contact Provo Police at 801-852-6210. More: https://t.co/8yOwyiZYyB @FeliciaKSL pic.twitter.com/NvysZ0WiFB
— KSL 5 TV (@KSL5TV) June 30, 2020
Follow Robert Kraychik on Twitter.
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