One of the victims of the Cincinnati jazz festival attack has broken her silence to speak about the extent of her injuries.
Bystander footage of the incident, which has since gone viral, saw a male attacker striking a woman in the face, causing her to collapse onto the pavement.
She added: “It’s definitely what’s keeping me going, and you have just brought back faith and humanity.”
Holly is one of the six victims injured in the brawl which took place on July 26.
Other footage of the confrontation shows a white male appearing to strike a black male wearing red clothing whilst surrounded by onlookers.
The incident then rapidly escalated, as numerous people began attacking the man, who then collapsed onto the ground where he was stamped on until bystanders intervened.
X | REVEALED: ‘Holly’s’ horror injuries after being beaten in a ‘coordinated racial attack’So far, Jermaine Matthews, 39, Dominique Kittle, 37, Montianez Merriweather, 34, and Dekyra Vernon, 24, four of the six alleged assailants, have been arrested, with police “actively pursuing” the two additional suspects.
US Vice President JD Vance has since denounced the assault, saying: “We have got to make great American cities safe again for families and children.”
He also demanded harsh penalties for those involved, stating: “Where I come from at least, when you have a grown man who sucker-punches a middle-aged woman, that person ought to go to jail for a very long time.”
Vance was previously a senator in the state of Ohio, where the attack took place.
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Holly’s injuries can be seen in her most recent video online during which she thanked people for their support
Teresa Theetge, the local police chief, said: “What we all witnessed in the viral video early Saturday morning was not only disturbing, but outright cruel.
“It was an act of violence that shook us all.”
One witness to the attack told local media that “racial comments” had triggered the confrontation.
While authorities have not verified this claim, Harmeet Dhillon, a senior official within the US Justice Department, has warned that race played a role in the assault.
However, Brandon Fox, an attorney who is representing Matthews, told The Enquirer: “It was not a Black, racist mob attacking people… These were separated fights that were triggered by racial slurs that ultimately poured gasoline on the fire.”
Holly granted permission for the photos of her injury to be released through Republican state Senator Bernie Moreno.
Sharing the images online, Moreno said: “Holly gave me permission to release the photos so that others will never suffer what she did.”
He added: “We need and deserve change.”
