Richard Spencer’s appearance at the University of Florida didn’t go well for him, although he did troll the university by sticking them with a $600,000 security tab. Still, thousands of protesters reportedly outnumbered Spencer’s supporters by “50 to 1,” and his speech was greeted by an audience full of hecklers. For the most part, the scene stayed tame due to a strong law enforcement presence, although someone did punch a Nazi, and a trio of Spencer supporters was also arrested and charged with attempted homicide.
Yes, that accelerated quickly. Local Gainesville ABC affiliate reports that, after the speech, the Spencer fans — Tyler Tenbrink, William Fears, and Colton Fears (all Texans, two of whom have known ties to extremist groups) — pulled up in their jeep alongside a group of protesters and “began threatening, offering Nazi salutes and shouting chants about Hitler.” Then a gun came out:
During the altercation, Tenbrink produced a handgun while the Fears brothers encouraged him to shoot at the victims. Tenbrink fired a single shot at the group which thankfully missed the group and struck a nearby building.
Click Orlando further reports that William Fears lashed out (upon his arrest) at Gov. Scott for loading up on law enforcement by declaring a state of emergency ahead of Spencer’s speech. Fears’ argument was, uh, not good:
William Fears said child predators are allowed to have their “twisted sexual conventions,” but “if a man says whites have right to exist they have to declare a state of emergency.”
Richard Spencer may have gone on his merry way following his appearance, but his trio of followers now sit in the Alachua County Jail on bonds ranging from $1-3 million apiece.
(Via ABC 3 & Click Orlando)