Two demonstrators were shot with a pellet gun on Friday during a rally supporting President Donald Trump in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The incident came as Trump supporters demonstrated against counting of votes in battleground states after the incumbent alleged voter fraud without providing evidence.
The incident happened in the evening when demonstrators gathered outside the Coral Ridge Mall. The shooter, who was in a moving vehicle, allegedly opened fire into the crowd injuring two women, according to WSVN. The women sustained minor injuries and were treated on the spot.
"I felt like I had been hit in the head with a rock, and when I touch my forehead, it was just gushing," Evelyn Alvarez, one of the victims, told WSVN. "Then, they shot one of the other ladies in the shoulder and just kept going. I can't stand in the street corner with my husband and with like-minded friends without being shot at. This is unacceptable, unacceptable."
Law enforcement launched an investigation into the shooting and asked the public to come forward with any information on the shooter, who fled the scene before the police arrived. Authorities are also probing the motive behind the incident.
'Stop The Steal' Rallies
Trump supporters across several battleground states took to the streets for 'Stop the Steal' rallies over the fears of voter fraud — an allegation made by the president. 'Stop the Steal' rallies have been organized at Arizona, Pennsylvania, Nevada, and Georgia — all the states where Biden took over Trump's lead as votes continued to be counted.
"President Trump has the votes," Marjorie Taylor Greene, a QAnon supporter newly elected to Congress, wrote on Parler — a Twitter-like application. "But the Democrats, Big Tech, and the Fake News Media are trying to STEAL this election. You and I cannot let that happen! This is the biggest VOTER FRAUD operation in American history...STOP THE STEAL."
Voter Fraud Allegations
The Trump campaign filed multiple lawsuits in Arizona, Pennsylvania, Nevada, and Georgia — where counting of votes trickled over the fourth day after Tuesday's election. These states began counting mail-in ballots late Tuesday resulting in the delay of results.
While initial trends show Trump in the lead, Biden took over him in multiple states after election workers began counting mail-in ballots. This prompted the incumbent president to allege voter fraud and said that poll workers counted ballots that were cast after the election was closed. However, he offered no evidence to support the claim.
On Friday, the campaign issued a statement saying it was worried about the "integrity of our entire election process."
"From the beginning, we have said that all legal ballots must be counted and all illegal ballots should not be counted, yet we have met resistance to this basic principle by Democrats at every turn," the campaign said.
