MAUMEE, Ohio – The images of the aftermath of a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, that turned deadly are disturbing.
Authorities said James Fields, 20, of Maumee, Ohio, intentionally mowed down a group of counterprotesters at the rally Saturday, leaving Heather Heyer, 32, dead and 19 others injured.
Authorities said Fields lived alone at an apartment complex.
"He was a quiet guy," neighbor Dale Flory said. "He never wanted to interact with anyone. I've never seen him interact with anyone."
Katelyn Martinez, who lives in the complex, said she remembers seeing Fields' car.
"It's a little crazy thinking you could live next to someone who could hate you for the color of your skin," she said.
Heyer's mother said she is left struggling to understand why it all happened after her daughter was run over by Fields' car.
"I'm very, very sad, but I can't be angry, because angry will make me hate, and hate leads to more hate, and there's no point," Susan Bro said. "Heather wouldn't have wanted that either. She'd say, 'What does that accomplish?'"
The incident has caused people to flock to where Fields' mother lives.
"Of course, there's gonna be curiosity seekers," Lucas County Sheriff John Tharp said. "Once it got out on social media, there were just folks."
The Lucas County Sheriff's Department is stepping up patrols in the area.
"It's just really quiet back there," Tharp said. "There's young professionals, empty-nesters, families just getting started out, and our job is just making sure everyone is safe as they can be."
Fields is being held on murder and other serious charges, and those who knew him, including his former high school teacher, are trying to wrap their heads around what happened.
"You bring the views of Nazism and white supremacy and who knows what he was experiencing once he left the area and went up north to Ohio -- who he was hanging around and stuff," the teacher said. "You start to see how it is. This perfect storm, it comes together and you get an incident like this."