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Virginia Paralegal Identified as Charlottesville Car Attack Victim

"I always encouraged her to be strong and strong-minded," Susan Bro said of her daughter Heather Heyer

The woman killed by a driver who slammed into a parade of anti-white nationalist demonstrators was identified Sunday as Heather Heyer, a 32-year-old Virginia-based paralegal, NBC News reported. 

"She was there with her friends, and she was trying to simply cross the street as the movement was breaking up that day, and she was plowed down by a young man who was intent on spreading hate and thought hate would fix the world," said her mother, Susan Bro. "And hate does not fix the world."

Bro continued: "I always encouraged her to be strong and strong-minded — even though that wasn't always easy to raise — but I was always proud of what she was doing."

Heyer worked at Miller Law Group PC, which is based in nearby Ruckersville, Virginia, the firm's president, Larry Miller, said in a statement to NBC. 

"Heather was a great person. She worked with me for 5 years and we just recently celebrated that accomplishment. She was very good at her job," Miller said. "She was conscientious, precise and always striving to improve her work. She cared about the clients. She had her opinions and would defend them with vigor. She was a peaceful person. She loved her dog, Violet. She was full of life and her time was cut short and I know that I will miss her. I am in shock."

Heyer was killed when James Alex Fields Jr. allegedly plowed into a crowd of people peacefully protesting a white nationalist rally Saturday in Charlottesville, hurting dozens of other protesters and ratcheting up tension in an increasingly violent confrontation.

Fields has been charged with one count of second degree murder, three counts of malicious wounding, and one count of failing to stop, according to officials.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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