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Eyewitness Testimony in the Charlottesville Rally Trial

White Nationalist Rally in Charlottesville
creative commons
White Nationalist Rally in Charlottesville

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) - Jurors in the trial of a man who drove into a crowd of counterprotesters at a white nationalist rally in Virginia heard from people in the crowd and a first-responder.

News outlets report that Marissa Martin testified Monday at the trial of James Alex Fields Jr. about joining a group of "happy people" marching in Charlottesville on Aug. 12, 2017. She described the scene turning to "complete chaos" as people were knocked to the ground.

Fire Captain Steward "Nick" Barrell described Heather Heyer's injuries and said she had no chance of survival outside a hospital.

Fields, of Maumee, Ohio, is charged with first-degree murder and other crimes.

Prosecutors say Fields aimed at the group, killing Heyer and injuring dozens, but Fields' lawyers say he was afraid for his life.

Don Rush is the News Director and Senior Producer of News and Public Affairs at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.