ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. - Tuesday, Michelle Fleming Morris stayed positive while peacefully protesting with others in Elizabeth City after an incident that took place Monday night.
For weeks, many have been peacefully protesting after Andrew Brown Jr. was shot and killed by deputies while they were serving him warrants.
“I’m in pain, but I’m alive,” Morris told News 3.
According to court documents, police say Lisa O'Quinn drove her car towards Morris and Val Lindsey during Monday’s peaceful protest, hitting and injuring both women.
O'Quinn faces charges, including assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill.
“The young lady was sitting in the car. She yelled and she was like, ‘Well, if it wasn’t for the police, you all guys wouldn’t be safe anyways. The murder was justified.’ We told her, ‘Well, you’re still not getting through here,'” Morris said. “She picked up her keys out of the console, started the car and commenced to drive forward.”
“It was happening so quick, I don’t even remember what was going through my mind,” Morris added.
Lindsey is also speaking out after the incident.
“She needs to be held accountable for her actions,” Lindsey said. “She’s disrespectful. It should be a hate crime.”
Kerwin Pittman, a Raleigh-based social justice activist, caught the incident on camera.
“To actually see it play out was kind of a disheartening event,” Pittman said.
But the incident didn't keep Lindsey or Morris from being back out on the streets Tuesday.
“I was considering taking a break, but then I thought about it after last night - there is no breaks,” Morris said.
Monday, News 3 showed a video taken of Josh Grooten also being hit that day while riding his bicycle in the protest.
“I saw her hit one fellow protester. In that moment, I just wanted to move my bike and myself in between that vehicle and other protesters,” Grooten said. “She hit my right leg, lower right leg, and shoved my bike back about half a foot.”
O'Quinn was processed at the Albemarle District Jail with a $40,000 bond. News 3 reached out to the jail, which said as of Tuesday night, they had no record of O’Quinn still being in custody.
News 3 also tried contacting O'Quinn, but we were unable to reach her.
As for protesters, they plan to be more cautious moving forward.
“I’ll treat vehicles that are stopped more seriously now,” Grooten said. “I’ll, at the very least, stay in between them and the protesters until I know that the protesters are out of danger.”
“This is not going to stop us from getting our message across,” Morris said. “We will get justice.”
News 3 reached out to Elizabeth City Police, who said they have no further comment other than the original information they put out about the incident.
O'Quinn is scheduled to be in court in Pasquotank County this Thursday, May 27.
