Trump Praises 'Incredible' Charlottesville Victim

He says Heather Heyer 'will be long remembered by all' as city holds memorial
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 16, 2017 10:34 AM CDT
Updated Aug 16, 2017 1:50 PM CDT
Trump Praises 'Incredible' Charlottesville Victim
Mourners arrive for a memorial service for Heather Heyer in Charlottesville, Va. Many wore purple, her favorite color.   (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

A day after setting off a firestorm for remarks giving the "alt-left" its share of the blame for the violence in Charlottesville, President Trump has tweeted kind words about its female victim. "Memorial service today for beautiful and incredible Heather Heyer, a truly special young woman," the president wrote. "She will be long remembered by all!" The tweet came around 11am EDT, as a service was starting inside an auditorium on the city's Downtown Mall to remember the 32-year-old Heyer. Related coverage:

  • Mother: Heyer's mother, Susan Bro, spoke at the service and got a standing ovation when she declared, "They tried to kill my child to shut her up. Well, guess what? You just magnified her," per the AP. She added that this is "just the beginning of Heather's legacy" and asked that people channel "anger into righteous action."
  • See the service: PBS has video of the service here. (Heyer's mother begins speaking about the 50-minute mark.)

  • Mural: Elsewhere on the Downtown Mall, an artist created a chalk mural of Heyer at a site known as the "Freedom of Speech Wall."
  • 'Legal headache': In his comments Tuesday, Trump declared that James Fields, the man whose car killed Heyer, is a "murderer" who might be guilty of "terrorism." A former federal prosecutor explains in the Daily News why that might cause problems later in finding an unbiased jury.
  • Embedded: Vice News was embedded with the white nationalist protesters throughout the weekend, and a post at Digg calls the resulting report a "must-watch" and provides a link to the video.
  • Memorable image: A man from North Carolina showed up at a Charlottesville park on Tuesday wearing a Confederate uniform and carrying a semiautomatic weapon, reports the local Daily Progress. He was met by protesters, and the newspaper has an image of one woman giving him an up-close salute of sorts.
  • Troopers: Not forgotten are troopers Berke Bates and Jay Cullen, who were killed when their helicopter crashed. Bates' funeral is Friday, and Cullen's is Saturday.
(More President Trump stories.)

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