Dozens of people gathered in Travis Park on Wednesday evening to celebrate the life of Garrett Foster, a Black Lives Matter activist who was killed in Austin in late July.
Foster and his fiancée Whitney Mitchell were at a protest on Saturday, July 25, when a vehicle drove through the crowd of demonstrators near Congress Avenue and 3rd Street.
In a video of the event, honking and pounding could be heard. Somebody shouted for people to back up, and then five gunshots were heard. The crowd scattered and, moments later, three more gunshots were fired. Foster was shot.
Austin emergency personnel transported Foster to Dell Seton Medical Center, but he died soon after.
Jill McCafferty remembered she was about half a block away when the shooting happened. She rushed to help when she heard the shots. She had seen Foster and his fiancee earlier that day.
"That day I was standing in front of APD when I watched him and Whitney get out of the car," she recalled, "and I waved and we fist bumped, said 'hi,' gave love, and that was the last time I had the opportunity to speak to him.
The Facebook event page declared, "It is time for Law Enforcement and the District Attorney to step up and pursue justice for this abominable crime. We Demand Justice For Garrett!"
Organizers encouraged attendees to weigh in on the city budget demanding the reallocation of funds from the San Antonio Police Department to healthcare, housing and education.
One speaker reminded people that Garrett Foster was more than willing to die for the BLM cause, he was willing to make it a reality by living it every single day. pic.twitter.com/waHL9Fs0iV
— Jolene Almendarez (@jalmendarez57) August 6, 2020
Jolene Almendarez can be reached at JoleneAlmendarez@gmail.com and on Twitter at @jalmendarez57.
TPR was founded by and is supported by our community. If you value our commitment to the highest standards of responsible journalism and are able to do so, please consider making your gift of support today.
