The victim of a politically charged shooting at a public speech by Milo Yiannopoulos in Seattle is calling for dialogue and "restorative justice" rather than criminal charges.
The victim, whose attorney asked that he not be identified by name, was shot in stomach while protesting a speech by the rightwing provocateur at the University of Washington on Friday night.
He remains in the hospital and has undergone multiple surgeries, his attorney, Sarah Lippek, said Tuesday. The shooter was a Trump supporter who sent a Facebook message to Yiannopoulos asking for an autograph while waiting in line for the controversial event, according to the Seattle Times.
The shooter turned himself into University of Washington (UW) police Friday night but was released "in consultation with the prosecuting attorney's office" and "pending further investigation", according to police .
UW police major Steve Rittereiser declined to provide an update on the investigation but said two suspects had "presented themselves to us at the police station".
The prosecutors' office recommended that police release them, he said. The investigation is ongoing, but Rittereiser said "there were no outstanding suspects in this case" and that the release of the suspects "did not pose any danger to the campus community". The release of the shooter has prompted consternation among some anti-Trump activists, who see a double standard in how left-wing protesters are treated by police. But the victim does not want to see charges filed.
"My client isn't interested in using the apparatus of the state to punish the individual," Ms Lippek said.
"He'd like to engage in dialogue and a restorative justice process."
The shooting took place during a confrontation between hundreds of protesters and attendees of the Yiannopoulos speech. The Breitbart editor is on a speaking tour of college campuses, and his appearances have been a target of protest by students who object to his racist and transphobic rhetoric.
The event was hosted by the University of Washington College Republicans.
The group did not respond to press queries, but condemned the protesters as "pseudo-terrorism that guises itself as justice" in a Facebook post. The victim is a member of the Industrial Workers of the World, a leftwing union, who attended the protest "to oppose Milo's hateful speech", according to a statement from the IWW. The union said that the victim is a 34-year-old man and "long-time anti-racist and anti-fascist activist" who was "unarmed and attempting to de-escalate conflict" when he was shot.
"We are deeply saddened by the attack on our friend. We are saddened but not surprised that the police released the attacker so swiftly," the IWW said in a statement.
A crowdfunding campaign for his medical bills has raised more than $45,000 (€41,862).
Guardian
