The man who shot a protester during a demonstration at the University of Washington reportedly contacted Breitbart News editor Milo Yiannopoulos before he pulled the trigger.
According to The Seattle Times, the man — whose name was not published because he has not been charged with anything — sent three messages to Yiannopoulos on Facebook while he was waiting in line to see him.
"Hey Milo, im outside in line to your UW event," the 29-year-old former University of Washington student wrote at 7:24 p.m.
"I got sucker punched [he was a bit limp wristed] and someone jacked my #MAGA hat.
"Anyway for me to get a replacement signed by you?"
Around 8:30 p.m., an altercation occurred between the man writing the Facebook posts and someone else who was trying to stop people from seeing Yiannopoulos, a prominent gay conservative who was kicked off Twitter last year after he insulted actress Leslie Jones in several tweets.
The altercation ended with the man pulling out a gun and shooting a protester.
Yiannopoulos did not respond to the Facebook posts, The Seattle Times reported.
According to Q13 Fox, protesters outside the event turned violent before the shooting, hurling bricks, firecrackers, and paint at police officers and civilians.
According to the Times, the shooter's Facebook page indicates he supports Yiannopoulos, President Donald Trump, and the National Rifle Association.
A witness told the paper the shooting victim, who survived, fired something into the crowd — likely pepper spray — before the shooter fired his weapon.