Victim's death an act of terror, say friends
A close friend of the woman killed when a car was driven into peaceful protesters in Charlottesville has described her death as a terrorist act.
Marissa Blair, who was with Heather Heyer, 32, when the crash happened. She says the driver "barrelled down" and she could hear the wheels as he accelerated.
Speaking at a vigil at the scene of the crash, she said Ms Heyer's death was "an act of terror" and a hate crime - and should be treated as such.
She said the driver of the car "deserves everything he gets and more".
Ms Blair paid tribute to her friend, saying Ms Heyer cared about people and stood up for equality.
Felicia Correa, who grew up with Ms Heyer, said her friend was no different than a casualty of war.
She said Ms Heyer was a sweet person who died standing up for people of colour, adding she and the other counter-protesters put their lives on the line to confront bigotry.
Ms Correa, who has set up a fund to raise money for her friend's family, said there was no difference between Ms Heyer and someone who died in the September 11 2001 attacks.
AP
