Father of woman killed in Charlottesville speaks out
SHARPES, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - Heather Heyer's father says he left a voicemail for his daughter to call him a couple of weeks ago. Instead, he took a call from his ex-wife informing him of her violent death.
"I kinda freaked," said Mark Heyer, who lives in Sharpes, Florida. "I kinda lost it."
In shock, Heyer says he turned on the TV and saw horrific video of a driver police say was intentionally running over counterprotesters of a white nationalist rally. It happened in Charlottesville, Virginia on Saturday, and police say dozens were injured, but Heyer's daughter was killed.
"She's my only little girl" Heyer said, holding back tears. "And, I loved her."
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Later that day, police identified the driver as 20 year old James Field. Heyer says he immediately forgave him.
"I forgive him in a heartbeat," the 62-year-old father of two told us. "Simply and partly because he's stupid. He's only 20. He doesn't have sense enough to make a decision about anything yet. And here he went and made a decision that hurt, over a dozen people and killed my daughter."
Heyer says he's driving to Virginia to attend his daugther's funeral.