A driver hit a student during a student-led protest in Nebraska's Fremont on Thursday afternoon, a spokesperson with the Fremont Public Schools district said.
Video captured by News Channel Nebraska showed the driver getting into a red SUV that carried a flag supporting President Trump’s 2024 campaign. Protesters were standing on the pavement when one student stepped in front of the parked vehicle. The driver appeared to move forward, slowed and then sped up, hitting the person, who appeared to land on the bonnet of the SUV and then roll off to the side. The driver initially slowed down after hitting the student and then left the scene, local media reported.
A spokesperson with the school district said the student was taken to hospital. This happened around 2 p.m. during a “non-school sponsored, student-led” demonstration. School administrators were near the protest to “ensure students were safe and peaceful.”
“We value our relationship with our first responders and their help today. We will continue to work together to keep our students and community safe,” Superintendent Brad Dahl said in a news release.
Shortly after the apparent hit-and-run, Rep. Mike Flood released a statement calling it "disturbing."
“This is not what we do in Nebraska,” Flood said. “While initial reports say that the girl was alert and talking when she was taken away, we are praying for her and her well-being. The incident needs to be fully investigated by law enforcement. It is critical that our country preserve the ability of people to safely protest.”
According to a report from News Channel Nebraska, students were protesting US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. Several protests, including ones in Nebraska, erupted in the last week after federal agents shot and killed two people in Minneapolis in less than three weeks. Protesters called for the end to the federal patrols and occupations that had been occurring in larger, Democratic-led cities.
