LA police officer shots news photographer in head

(MENAFN) During protests and riots in Los Angeles over immigration enforcement, a California police officer shot a New York Post photojournalist in the head with a rubber bullet. The incident happened Sunday while Toby Canham was capturing a tense standoff between demonstrators and the California Highway Patrol.

Reports indicate that Canham was clearly identified as press, wearing his press badge when he was struck, causing him to collapse. He spent the following day hospitalized with whiplash, neck pain, and a sizable bruise on his forehead.

“When I got whacked, to my best recollection, it was just me filming with my cameras on – and then I got shot,” Canham recounted. “I wasn’t surrounded, so I was an easy target.” He also mentioned that shortly before the shot, a bottle was thrown at officers from his left side, and the person who threw it fled.

On the same day, Australian journalist Lauren Tomasi was shot in the leg with a rubber bullet by police while covering the protests for broadcaster ABC. Video footage captured by her crew suggests she was deliberately targeted.

The unrest began Friday after federal agents detained several people as part of an immigration crackdown initiated by then-President Donald Trump. What started as demonstrations quickly escalated into violent clashes with law enforcement, looting, and widespread vandalism, leading Trump to activate the National Guard and deploy active-duty Marines.

California Governor Gavin Newsom publicly condemned the federal response, labeling it illegal.

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