Journalist Blinded After Allegedly Being Struck in the Eye by Police During a Protest in Minneapolis

Journalists and news crews have been attending many of the protests occurring over the death of George Floyd to document these events as they unfold. Unfortunately, many journalists are finding that they are becoming a target for protestors and police. In recent news, we learned that a female journalist who has been identified as 37-year-old Linda Tirado traveled from Nashville to attend a protest in Minneapolis.

Tirado says she wore goggles to the protest to protect her eyes, however, they fell off while protestors ran away from tear gas. The 37-year-old says after that, she was in the process of capturing her next shot when she put her camera down for a second, and then felt her “face explode.” She told The New York Times that she felt blood and began screaming, “I’m press! I’m press!”

Tirado told the news source that she believes she was shot by a rubber bullet which came from the direction of the police. Thankfully, protestors carried the woman out of the crowd, and she managed to make it to an area hospital. It was there that she underwent an hour-long surgical procedure. While doctors told the journalist that it is unlikely that she will recover her vision, she told the source she was thankful because she shoots her photos with her right eye.

Tirado Says Police Don’t Care if You Attend a Protest as a Working Journalist

Tirado shared with the news source that she believes there was no way officers weren’t able to identify her as a working journalist. She added, “police have been pretty clear that they don’t care if you are [a] working journalist.” After the incident was made public, John Elder, who is a spokesman for the Minneapolis Police Department, said “he was unaware of the incident.” He also told the news source that “the department has not used rubber bullets for decades”

The department’s spokesman expressed that if someone feels as though they have been injured by an officer of the Minneapolis Police Department, they should contact the department’s Internal Affairs Unit or the Office of Police Conduct Review.

Did a Minneapolis, MN police officer injure you or a loved one?

If you answered yes, there may be a way for you to seek justice for the mistreatment that has been inflicted upon you. USAttorneys.com works with some of the best Minneapolis, MN police brutality lawyers in the field who can help you understand what your legal rights are. An attorney can also explain to you the different forms of action that can be taken so that the officer who harmed you is punished for their inappropriate or illegal behavior.