A 26 year-old woman, Kyndal McVey, in the US state of Oklahoma has been shot after removing a Nazi flag from the front yard of a neighbour. The woman was apparently shot 4 times in the back with a semi-automatic rifle, though she is expected to make a full recovery.
44 year-old Alexander Feaster is believed to have carried out the shooting and has been charged with assault with a deadly weapon and shooting with the intent to kill. He is expected to appear in court on July 9th. Neighbours state that the woman removed the flag and ran away, it was as she was running away that she was shot.
NBC News has said that footage, as of yet unreleased, shows the man shooting without giving any prior warning. The footage was caught on the suspect's own CCTV cameras he had set up on his property. In order to protect the woman while law-enforcement arrived, a neighbour drove a red pick-up truck into place as a barricade and trained a weapon on Mr. Feaster's home as a means of defending her.
Neighbours have said that the suspect had been flying Nazi style flags outside his home for around a year and was even reportedly known to dress up in Nazi uniforms on his own property. A neighbour stated that they had had no problems with Feaster and that he mostly kept to himself.
Deputy Marshall Woodson wrote in the affidavit that:
"It is important to note that Kyndal did not appear to be in any way, a threat to Feaster due to her obviously running away from his residence with only a flag in her hand".
The US constitution permits individuals to fly flags on their own property regardless of any offence it may cause. Individuals in the US are also permitted to defend their homes with force in certain circumstances.
However, the force used must be proportional to the threat the individual is under. Shooting someone four times in the back after stealing a flag is unlikely to be covered by 'stand your ground' legislation.
Whether Feaster is motivated by political ideology or is suffering from some sort of mental health issue will be revealed at his upcoming trial. Bail has been set at over $400,000.
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