(CNN) A White driver is in custody and could face a hate crime penalty after she struck two Black women with a car during a protest Monday over the fatal police shooting of a Black man last month in North Carolina, authorities said. The incident occurred during the near-daily protests in Elizabeth City over the shooting of Andrew Brown Jr ., protest leader Kirk Rivers told CNN. The case -- including a prosecutor's decision not to charge the deputies involved -- has raised already intense national debate over how police treat people of color. Elizabeth City police responded to Monday's incident around 6:45 p.m. ET, according to a news release"A motorist struck two pedestrians who were peacefully protesting and exercising their constitutional rights," the release said.

Source: CNN May 25, 2021 11:26 UTC