A journalist in Minneapolis has been left permanently blind in one eye after being shot by the police with a rubber billet during the coverage of the protests for the killing of George Floyd, according to The New York Times.
A freelance photographer from Nashville, Linda Tirado, was collecting material during the protest in Minneapolis last Friday when she believes she was hit by a rubber bullet fired by a police officer.
She was wearing protective goggles at the time, but lost them when running away from tear gas. She told the paper, “I was aiming my next shot, put my camera down for a second, and then my face exploded, I immediately felt blood and was screaming, ‘I’m press! I’m press!’”
Hey folks, took a tracer found to the face (I think, given my backpack) and am headed into surgery to see if we can save my left eye
— Linda Tirado (@KillerMartinis) May 30, 2020
Am wisely not gonna be on Twitter while I’m on morphine
Stay safe folks pic.twitter.com/apZOyGrcBO
Demonstrators then took her to a safe area. She said that it was obvious that she was from the press. “I would say there is no way that anyone had looked at me and not known that I am a working journalist...That said, police have been pretty clear that they don’t care if you are working journalist.” she told the New York Times.
LIVE ON @wave3news - something I’ve never seen in my career.
— Lauren Jones (@LaurenWAVE3TV) May 30, 2020
An armed officer shooting directly at our reporter @KaitlinRustWAVE and photographer @jbtcardfan during the protests in #Louisville.
My prayers are going out to everyone tonight.
Such a scary situation for all. pic.twitter.com/Ipg0DjFIXu
A spokesperson from the Minneapolis Police Department stated that police had not been asked to use rubber bullets in decades!
Unfortunately, Tirado was not the only member of the press to report being targeted and shot. A reporter from The Los Angeles Times, Molly Hennessy-Fisk, reported to also being shot with rubber bullets. A correspondent from CBS News, Michael George, tweeted he and his team were also shot with rubber bullets.
An important thing to notice- we received no verbal commands from police before they opened fire with rubber bullets on our CBS News crew. If they had asked us to leave a particular area, we would. Also, police are aware the Governor has exempted media from the curfew. #cbsnews pic.twitter.com/7y6Trs6XrM
— Michael George (@MikeGeorgeCBS) May 31, 2020
Furthermore, several local reporters also reported that they were attacked with what appeared to be rubber bullets.
Regarding police behavior last night, I was twice ordered at gunpoint by Minneapolis police to hit the ground, warned that if I moved "an inch" I'd be shot. This after being teargassed and hit in groin area by rubber bullet. Waiving a Star Tribune press badge made no difference. pic.twitter.com/pfBm7ubzOg
— Chris Serres (@ChrisSerres) May 31, 2020
It seems plausible that a group other than the Minneapolis Police Department is behind the firings of rubber bullets. The Minnesota State Patrol, The National Guard and other local police departments have been deployed.
Even though reporters covering the protests have been officially exempt from the curfew, many of them have reported running into authorities. A local TV photographer for example, has been reported to be taken away by police after identifying himself as a member of the news TV station.
"I'M NOT FIGHTING": Tom Aviles, an award-winning photographer with CBS Minnesota, was arrested and struck by a rubber bullet while covering protests in Minneapolis. https://t.co/uIJsKYOboi pic.twitter.com/lkaavUgeGi
— CBS News (@CBSNews) May 31, 2020
After a CNN reporter was arrested on live TV last Friday morning, he demanded an apology from Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who issued it for a second time on Sunday: “I want to once again extend my deepest apologies to the journalists who were once again in the middle of this situation, were inadvertently but nevertheless detained...To them personally, and to the news organizations and to journalists everywhere, it is unacceptable.”Walz said in a press conference.
Journalists in other places in the US were also attacked.
In Louiseville, officers specifically went after a local TV news crew. Footage from the incident shows a policeman in riot uniform aiming and firing non-deadly bullets live on the air.
Several journalists in other places across the United States were also attacked. In Louiseville, police went after a local TV crew. The incident was recorded, and footage reveals a policeman in riot uniform aiming and firing rubber bullets live in the air.
The journalist can be heard shouting, “I’m getting shot,” “Who are they aiming at?” an anchor asks. “Directly at us,” the journalist says as an officer fires at the cameraman.
LIVE ON @wave3news - something I’ve never seen in my career.
— Lauren Jones (@LaurenWAVE3TV) May 30, 2020
An armed officer shooting directly at our reporter @KaitlinRustWAVE and photographer @jbtcardfan during the protests in #Louisville.
My prayers are going out to everyone tonight.
Such a scary situation for all. pic.twitter.com/Ipg0DjFIXu
Shoutout to the Overseas Press Club for what I’d originally thought was a comically oversized press badge, but which has been so helpful to me in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, and now Brooklyn.
— Azmat Khan (@AzmatZahra) June 2, 2020
Want one? 👉 https://t.co/57nC5kuVll @opcofamerica pic.twitter.com/daVdj2xapa
“WE CAN’T BREATHE!” A week to the day after George Floyd died after telling an officer kneeling on him that he couldn’t breathe, protesters repeat his ominous words at the site where he died. pic.twitter.com/LltfSWgnbx
— John Eligon (@jeligon) June 2, 2020
Army blackhawks are conducting “show of force” passes on protestors. One flyover snapped a tree that nearly hit several people. pic.twitter.com/Z8UnQOypYy
— Thomas Gibbons-Neff (@Tmgneff) June 2, 2020
Evidently the police and troops fired tear gas at peaceful protesters to push them back to make it possible for Trump to go to St. John's Church for a photo op.
— Peter Baker (@peterbakernyt) June 1, 2020
I’m listening to Trump talk about establishing order as forces in front of me fire tear gas and rubber bullets on protesters. It is utterly surreal. pic.twitter.com/jSL2UKV5Xk
— Alexander Marquardt (@MarquardtA) June 1, 2020
My god https://t.co/DXUWdpVbcJ
— Elizabeth Landers (@ElizLanders) June 1, 2020
Gas masks on at 15th and H pic.twitter.com/FYPo9KQ13q
— Elizabeth Landers (@ElizLanders) June 1, 2020
The First Amendment protects the right to a free press and the right to assemble peacefully. Police have used brutal tactics against both in the last few days. https://t.co/JJ52sZhaj8
— Rachel C. Abrams (@RachelAbramsNY) June 1, 2020
🚨 Mayor of #Louisville: The body cameras of those involved in the shooting last night that killed David McAtee were NOT active.
— Cal Perry (@CalNBC) June 1, 2020
The Chief of Police has been relieved.
.@sacsheriff are investigating a video that has generated a lot of attention showing a man being kicked by a deputy even after he has his hands behind his head.https://t.co/SI5ikZJpL0 pic.twitter.com/MgoXrKaiXH
— ABC10 (@ABC10) March 19, 2020
Here's footage of my colleagues being attacked tonight in downtown Birmingham. They're accounted for now and OK and will get lots of free beers when this is over. Love you guys. https://t.co/L0hcuj8OVr
— Kyle Whitmire (@WarOnDumb) June 1, 2020
More targeting of journalists by Detroit police. https://t.co/wfkNnPp7TU
— stevenpepple (@stevenpepple) June 1, 2020
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