GAINESVILLE, Florida. – Three white supremacists were arrested and charged with attempted murder after they fired a gun directly at a group of protesters this weekend at the University of Florida.
According to the Chicago Tribune, the three men – all brothers who drove from Texas – attended white supremacist Richard Spencer’s rally. They allegedly threw off Hitler salutes and yelled Nazi chants, then argued with a group of protesters before firing off a shot in the protesters’ direction.
Ironically, the men told the media before the rally began that they were not in attendance for hate or violence.
“They don’t have to fear us. It’s always the left that brings the violence,” William Fears said laughably. Their last names are, appropriately, the Fears.
The gunshots just missed the group of six to eight people, hitting the business they were standing in front of.
Tyler Tenbrink, 28, William Fears, 30, and Colt Fears, 28, said they agree with approximately 75 percent of what Spencer espouses.
According to Gainesville police spokesperson Ben Tobias, it is “reasonable to believe they came here to bring some hatred.”
Spencer is a well known supremacist and alt-right leader who advocates for what is called a “white-ethno” state. He was at the university to promote his views and attract new members, but the media on the ground at the college said there were more people there to protest him than to actually hear him speak, the Tribune stated.
In addition to attempted homicide, Tenbrink is also being charged with possession of a weapon by a convicted felon. This is not the first time white supremacists fired their guns at peaceful protesters. A similar situation unfolded at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville where a white nationalist randomly fired his weapon into a crowd of protesters. No one was injured.
The Washington Post reported the attorneys for the men were not immediately available for comment.
