Tuesday, September 07, 2004
Christian Fundamentalist Assaults Veterans in Parade
Man Attacks Participants In Windsor Parade
POSTED: 9:32 am MDT September 7, 2004
UPDATED: 3:23 pm MDT September 7, 2004
A member of a Christian group has been fired after allegedly punching several veterans marching for presidential candidate John Kerry in Monday's Harvest Festival parade in Windsor, Colo.
Russell Laughlin, 40, of Nunn, was a member of the northern Colorado FamilyLife Marriage Conference and was walking ahead of 175 members of Veterans for Kerry.
According to police, Laughlin was handing out pamphlets for his group while making loud insults about Kerry to the crowd gathered to watch the parade.
After about a mile, the veterans group asked Laughlin to go back to his own group, but he refused and instead stood in front of the Kerry group, refusing to move, according to a Chris Humphries, an Army veteran and Kerry campaign employee.
That's when a fistfight erupted and Laughlin grabbed a veteran by his shirt and started swinging, according to Gary Fedel, a Lakewood, Colo. member of Veterans for Kerry. Humphries said Laughlin then turned around punched her in the mouth.
Police arrested Laughlin on charges of misdemeanor assault.
The FamilyLife Marriage Conference said it dismissed the volunteer, as a result of the melee.
POSTED: 9:32 am MDT September 7, 2004
UPDATED: 3:23 pm MDT September 7, 2004
A member of a Christian group has been fired after allegedly punching several veterans marching for presidential candidate John Kerry in Monday's Harvest Festival parade in Windsor, Colo.
Russell Laughlin, 40, of Nunn, was a member of the northern Colorado FamilyLife Marriage Conference and was walking ahead of 175 members of Veterans for Kerry.
According to police, Laughlin was handing out pamphlets for his group while making loud insults about Kerry to the crowd gathered to watch the parade.
After about a mile, the veterans group asked Laughlin to go back to his own group, but he refused and instead stood in front of the Kerry group, refusing to move, according to a Chris Humphries, an Army veteran and Kerry campaign employee.
That's when a fistfight erupted and Laughlin grabbed a veteran by his shirt and started swinging, according to Gary Fedel, a Lakewood, Colo. member of Veterans for Kerry. Humphries said Laughlin then turned around punched her in the mouth.
Police arrested Laughlin on charges of misdemeanor assault.
The FamilyLife Marriage Conference said it dismissed the volunteer, as a result of the melee.
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