Thwarting expectations that the city of Gainesville might devolve into violent clashes as a result of White supremacist Richard Spencer's appearance at the University of Florida this week, police reported only a couple of scuffles breaking out and a handful of arrests being made. But the potential for a deadly attack proved nonetheless imminent, as three of the five arrests made outside of the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts on Thursday, October 19, reportedly involved gunfire.
Tyler Tenbrink, 28, and brothers William Fears, 30, and Colton Fears, 28 have been behind bars at the Alachua County Jail on bonds upward of $1 billion each, after they were identified as having incited a confrontation that ended with Tenbrink firing a shot that detectives from the Gainesville Police Department say bore the "intent to kill," according to his arrest report. The three men reportedly taunted a group waiting at a local bus stop at around 5:30 p.m., with shouts of "Hail Hitler" and Nazi salutes, before one of the protesters they were heckling, ran over and swing a baton through the rear window of the vehicle they were in. The assailants then got out of their car to confront the group, at which point the Fears brothers reportedly egged Tenbrink on to pull his gun out. While the shot missed, it was reported to have been fired in the direction of one of the protesters.
Officers were able to soon apprehend the three suspects thanks to one of the witnesses recalling their vehicle's license plate. They are facing felony charges of attempted homicide in connection with the incident.
Source: talkingpointsmemo.com
