The suspect accused of driving his car into a crowd of counter-protestors in Charlottesville, Virginia is being faced with five more additional felony charges.
CNN reports that 20-year old James Alex Fields is now being charged with two counts of malicious wounding and three counts of aggravated malicious wounding after his Dodge Challenger rammed into a group of counter-protestors against the “Unite the Right” white nationalist rally in Charlottesville.
These new charges come in tandem with a first charge of second-degree murder after the crash led to the death of 32-year old Heather Heyer, and wounded 19 others. “The victims related to these charges suffered serious injuries and in some cases permanent physical disabilities,” said the Charlottesville Police Department in a statement. “This continues to be an ongoing criminal investigation with additional charges anticipated in the near future."
In addition to criminal charges, Fields also faces a civil suit filed against him just days after the malicious attack. Sisters Tadrint and Micah Washington have accused Fields of hitting their vehicle from behind, causing injuries to their heads and extremities. In addition to Fields, the suit lists 27 other defendants that include Jason Kessler and alt-right leader Richard Spencer.
The Washington sisters are seeking a total of $3 million in compensatory damages and $350,000 in punitive damages.
Last week’s violent white nationalist rally has since ignited a series of counter-protests across the nation as many have spoken out against the rising alt-right movement and President Donald Trump’s failure to genuinely condemn the groups involved, such as the KKK, neo-Nazis, and white supremacist groups.
All the while, politicians, celebrities, and major companies have taken a stand against the hate with Spotify deleting the accounts of white supremacist bands on the streaming service, and the likes of T.I and Lebron James speaking out against Donald Trump’s inaction.
Rapper Future most recently postponed his shows in Virginia following the attack while former President Barack Obama achieved the feat of have the most-like tweet of all time after tweeting out, “No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin or his background or his religion.”
The tweet came along with a previously-released photo of Obama looking up through a window of toddlers of various races peering down below.