Man vandalizes memorial to slain Austin protester, posts video of act on social media

Supporters spent hours cleaning a slain Austin protestor’s memorial site Tuesday after an unknown man vandalized and then posted video of the act on social media, the Austin American-Statesman reported.

Garrett Foster was fatally shot Saturday night by the unidentified driver of a car who said Foster had aimed an AK-47 rifle at him as the vehicle moved through a crowd of protesters in downtown Austin. Others dispute the driver’s account, and police are still investigating.

Austin police investigate a homicide shooting which occurred at a demonstration against police violence in downtown Austin, Saturday, July 25, 2020. (Stephen Spillman/Austin American-Statesman via AP)
In the meantime, flowers, candles and posters had begun to appear in Foster’s name on a corner near the site of the shooting, the newspaper said.

Tuesday morning, a video was posted to TikTok by a man who filmed himself as he flung bouquets aside, tore down signs and spilled white paint on other site memorabilia.

“Sewage next time,” the man threatened. The video elicited horror from some and support from others, with one commenter saying, “Good job soldier.”

Police had not yet said whether they were looking into the incident.