The City of Minneapolis is being sued by a journalist who claims that the police left her permanently blind in one eye after shooting her in the face with rubber bullets.
Linda Tirado, a mother of two who was covering the George Floyd protests, is claiming that law enforcement ignored her press credential. Instead, they targeted her with a ballistic tracking round before firing foam bullets at her face, hitting her in the eye on May 29th. In court documents, obtained by TMZ, Tirado says that she was left with blood dripping down her face as she repeatedly cried “I’m press” in an effort to get the officer’s attention to no avail during the attack. She says that protesters helped her get to a medic who then transported her to the hospital. However, by the time she reached the hospital, her left eye was permanently annihilated. Doctors told her, “in connection with her injury, she now has a flat aspect and no depth perception.”
Tirado went on to say that her injuries were not only detrimental to her but also to her children, one of which is a 9-year-old who is autistic. She says that the child “will need therapy to work through her trauma associated with her mother’s injury,” as well as her youngest child, who is 7-years-old.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
She’s suing the city and Chief Medaria Arradondo for violation of her First Amendment rights, Fourth Amendment rights (excessive force). She is seeking unspecified damages for her injuries.
The City of Minneapolis has yet to comment on the lawsuit.
