Man arrested for firing round during clashes at Charlottesville rally

By Jennifer Cruz

A man was arrested on gun charges Saturday after he fired a round at another man holding a makeshift blowtorch at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville earlier this month. (Photo: AP)
A 52-year-old man was arrested Saturday after authorities received a video showing the man fire a single shot during the white nationalist rally in Charlottesville earlier this month.
Richard Wilson Preston is charged with discharging a firearm within 1,000 feet of a school and being held at the Baltimore County Detention Center.
The gunfire unfolded as tensions mounted between white nationalists and counter protesters during the Aug. 12 “Unite the Right” rally in Emancipation Park. Authorities began investigating several days later after the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia shared a video of the shooting incident with local, state, and federal authorities.
“Our decision to release the video of this significant event is consistent with our regular calls for law enforcement to release body-camera video that depicts any incident of public concern,” ACLU of Virginia wrote in a statement.
The video was recorded by an ACLU legal observer and shows Preston pull a handgun from his holster after observing a counter protester with a makeshift blowtorch made from an aerosol can and

Source: Guns.com