The Minneapolis City Council on Thursday agreed to settle three police misconduct lawsuits, one of them stemming from an officer's actions during protests following George Floyd's killing two years ago.
The largest of these latest settlements was $500,000 for Jaime Bunkholt, a photographer from Atlanta, who alleged in her federal lawsuit that an unidentified Minneapolis police officer fired a rubber bullet from the roof of the besieged Third Precinct headquarters that hit her in the back of the head.
The civil rights lawsuit said that Bunkholt, who was 33 at the time, "sustained numerous neurological injuries, a concussion, pain and suffering, medical bills, other injuries both permanent and temporary, as well as lasting emotional trauma."
The suit further contended that the protests were nonviolent at this time, and she was breaking no laws by being outside the Third Precinct at the corner of E. Lake Street and Minnehaha Avenue, and was shot without warning before any curfews were announced.
"There can be no mistake that the attack on Ms. Bunkholt was intentional," the lawsuit read. "The design of the weapons makes accidental firing impossible."
Three weeks ago, in a similar set of circumstances, the council approved a $600,000 payout to freelance journalist Linda Tirado, who was blinded in one eye by a police projectile while covering protests after Floyd's death under the knee of fired officer Derek Chauvin in May 2020.
Tirado's suit accused the city and police officials of conspiring to deprive journalists of their constitutional rights during the unrest.
Earlier in May, the council approved the payment of $1.5 million plus attorneys' fees to Jaleel Stallings. The 29-year-old St. Paul man sued the city and police, saying they violated his constitutional rights by using force to intimidate and deter him from protesting police brutality and racism.
