During the Denver protests, many people were injured. One of those people was a man who has now filed a lawsuit claiming excessive force was used against himself and others.
The man’s eye had to be surgically removed after he was struck by a projectile that was shot by the police. He has had three surgeries since that day on May 30, 2020, all to correct a broken eye socket, facial fracture and ruptured eye. Unfortunately, he says that he will need more surgeries and numerous treatments as he attempts to take care of this injury in the future.
This claim is not the first to impact the police force in Colorado
This isn’t the first claim that has been made against the city. In fact, this is at least the fifth claim the city has faced from protesters who claim that they were injured in cases of police brutality in the months of May and June.
These lawsuits, which represent over 20 individuals, claim that both tear gas and projectiles caused serious harm to themselves and hundreds of others. The lawsuit claims that at least nine people were shot in the head by police using projectiles. This man is just one of at least two people who lost their sight as a result.
What did the Denver police have to say?
In response to reports of police brutality and criticism about how the department had handled the demonstrations by protesters, the police chief stated that he promised to change how the department handled situations like large protests in the future. Previously, the city’s Office of the Independent Monitor had written a damaging report about the instances of excessive force, poor communication, poor recordkeeping and allegations of misconduct involving the police force.
What makes this man’s lawsuit so serious is that he reported being dozens of feet away from police who were holding a line at the Civic Center. Despite that, he was still hit by a projectile in the eye, which had been fired by the police. Those projectiles were often shot without warning, according to reports.
The police have no business treating citizens in this way. Brutality has to be taken seriously. If allegations of abuse and brutality are proven true, then entire police forces could face serious consequences.