in the counterdemonstrations. police have arrested 20-year-old james alex fields jr. of ohio in connecticut with the car crash. he is expected to make his first appearance in court tomorrow where he faces four charges, including one count of second degree murder. let s go now to nbc s mile rodriguez on the ground in virginia. things do seem to be taking on a semblance of normalcy. we have seen people walking around, walking their dogs, neighbors greeting neighbors, families coming here to immans passion park. something that would not have been possible just 24 hours ago when there was that violent outbreak between the people attending the rally and counterprotesters. and then of course that terrible incident where a car plowed into a crowd of people killing 32-year-old heather heyer about four blocks from here. on top of that, we also had the
civil rights investigation has been launched by the justice department into the incident here behind me, and one man faces a second degree murder charge. brian todd, cnn, charlottesville, virginia u.s. attorney general jeff sessions released a statement about the investigation into the violence there in virginia. he said, the violence and deaths in charlottesville strike at the heart of american law and justice. when such actions arise from racial bigotry and hatred, they betray our core values and cannot be tolerated. i have talked about fbi director chris rey, fbi agents on the scene and law enforcement officials for the state of virginia. the fbi has been supporting state and local authorities throughout the day. u.s. attorney rick mountcastle has commenced a federal investigation and will have the full support of the department of justice. justice will prevail. that s from jeff sessions. former president barack obama has responded to the clashes
one that keeps you connected to what matters most. announcer: this is cnn breaking news. and welcome back to our viewers here in the u.s. and around the world. you are watching cnn newsroom live from atlanta. i m natalie allen. more on the breaking news from the u.s. state of virginia. federal authorities have opened a civil rights investigation into the car attack in charlottesville. one woman died when a car rammed into a crowd of people protesting a white nationalist rally. five people are in critical condition right now. police have arrested this man, 20-year-old james alex fields jr. he is suspected of being behind the wheel of that car. three other people were arrested in connection with clashes between white supremacists and
that red van moved into the crowd after being hit from behind by the attacker s car. we know a 32-year-old woman died in that crowd. 19 other peep injured. several critically. police took this man into custody in connection with the car attack. 20-year-old james alex fields jr. the governor had an emotional message for the white nationalist yous that showed autopsy at his state saturday for this rally. i have a message to all the white sprepl civili white supremacists and the nazis who came into charlottesville today. our message is plain and simple, go home. you are not wanted in this great commonwealth. shame on you. you pretend that you re patriots but you are anything but a patriot. in the meantime, democrats and republicans are criticizing the president of the united
mcauliffe said, i don t know who these people think they are, these white supremacists, these nazis, get out of the country, get out of my state, but get out of this country, we don t want you. you are not helping us. there you go. nbc s maya rodriguez in charlottesville. we ll check back later. thanks a lot. the suspect in the charlottesville attack, james alex fields jr. remains in police custody, expected to face four charges, including one count of second-degree murder. joining me now is kendall coffey, former prosecutor and former u.s. attorney kristen clarke, executive director for the lawyers committee of civil rights under law. kendall, i d like to begin with you. is this a case straight up of domestic terrorism? well, it s certainly got a lot of indicators of that. right now they are only charging him with second-degree murder and some lesser offenses. that s a place holder. both the state and the federal authorities are examining closely what evidence they can develop in