A Minneapolis woman who joined thousands of anti-police brutality demonstrators after the death of George Floyd is suing city and state law enforcement officials, saying police shot her with a projectile that irreparably damaged her left eye.
Lawsuit alleges police permanently injured protester's eye during riots
Samantha Wright 'was protesting near Lake and Nicollet.
February 24, 2021 at 5:46PM
On May 30, Samantha Wright participated in a protest near Lake Street and S. Nicollet Avenue, according to the lawsuit. Though she did not take part in rioting or looting, police officers "gratuitously struck her several times with 'less lethal' projectiles, the last of which struck her left eye."
The projectile shattered her orbital eye socket and left permanent damage, according to the suit. "Wright must continue to heal and learn to adapt to a new way of life, she does not anticipate returning to anything approaching her usual work life for at least three months from the date the injury occurred," the lawsuit says.
Wright filed the lawsuit late last year, and it was moved to Minnesota's federal courts this week.
She is one of several people suing over police use of force during the protests and riots following Floyd's death last summer, including others who suffered permanent damage to their eyes.
Earlier this week, a judge ruled a lawsuit filed by photojournalist Linda Tirado can move forward. Tirado lost her eye to a projectile the same night Wright was struck, and her suit alleges the city, police and former Minneapolis police union president Bob Kroll conspired to deprive journalists of their constitutional rights during their response to unrest.
Andy Mannix
These Minnesotans are poised to play prominent roles in state and national politics in the coming years.
