OLYMPIA — One person was shot Saturday as clashes and violence erupted between pro-Trump demonstrators and counterdemonstrators in what is becoming a regular weekend occurrence at Washington’s Capitol campus in the wake of a bitter election season.
The shooting came after a couple hours of on-and-off clashes during a rally in support of President Donald Trump, who for weeks has pushed to overturn the results of the November election that he lost. On Friday night, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a lawsuit backed by Trump to overturn Joe Biden’s election victory,
Greeting the Trump demonstrators in Olympia was a larger crowd of perhaps 200 counterdemonstrators clad in black.
The shooting occurred around 2 p.m. near the visitor center of the Capitol campus, as counterdemonstrators pushed Trump supporters back toward their vehicles in an adjacent parking lot.
Washington State Patrol spokesperson Chris Loftis confirmed the shooting.
“Suspect detained,” wrote Loftis in a text message. “No information confirmed on victim or any injury status.”
Loftis described the clash as a “Fluid situation with two groups of size, both including heavily armed individuals.“
“Sporadic confrontations and movement since late morning,” he added.
As the state’s capital, Olympia has long been a focal point between right-wing and left-wing groups who routinely come to rally or protest.
But Saturday’s clash comes as one of a series of regular weekend confrontations at the Capitol since the Nov. 3 election between Trump and Biden.
In a similar incident last week, law enforcement arrested a man for allegedly firing once into a crowd, according to The Olympian.
