As Rioters Pull Down Statue, Bystander Gets Full Brunt of the Bronze Behemoth
Virginia doctors are working to save a man who was crushed after catching the full force of a bronze statue toppled by destructive protesters.
The monument to fallen Confederate soldiers was targeted by rioters Wednesday night during a protest in Portsmouth, according to WVEC-TV.
As punks worked at a statue’s base with sledgehammers and other tools, Chris Green was standing below the monument, seemingly unaware of the impending danger.
Video captured the moment the bronze soldier was ripped down by the violent protesters, landing directly on Green.
WARNING: The following video contains graphic content that some viewers will find offensive.
#BREAKING: Portsmouth Protester critically injured after Confederate statue landed on his head. #Virginia pic.twitter.com/vdUCbbOdar
— Joshua Rodriguez (@Joshuajered) June 11, 2020
After a few celebratory cheers, the mood in the crowd instantly changed.
Screams for a medic rang out as protesters rushed to either distance themselves from the chaos or close in with cellphones ready to record.
Officers from the Portsmouth Police Department, who originally did nothing to stop the protesters’ destruction, quickly moved in to secure the area. Other bystanders were advised to leave by the authorities.
An ambulance, slowed by the massive crowd, eventually reached the injured man.
Tonieh Brisbane-Green, Chris Green’s wife, told WVEC that her husband flatlined twice on the way to the hospital.
“I just feel like I’m in a dream right now,” she said. “Like, I just need to be pinched to wake up and everything will go back to normal.”
Brisbane-Green, who apparently lost sight of Green before the injury, is now left wondering what happened in the moments before the statue fell. With her husband in a medically induced coma, she is forced to rely on information from others.
The protest that ended in Green’s gruesome injury is part of larger civil unrest that has rocked many American cities in the wake of George Floyd’s May 25 death in Minneapolis police custody.
While many of the demonstrations have been peaceful, riots, looting and destruction of property have broken out at several of the events.
Supporters of Green set up a GoFundMe campaign to provide his family with extra cash to help with medical bills or any other expenses, and it surpassed its goal of $45,000 with $46,802 raised.
Hopefully, Green will make a full recovery — and no one else will be hurt or killed in the destructive protests.
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