GRUESOME LOSS
Horrific pics show how Denver BLM protester lost an EYE after being shot in face by cops with rubber bullet
A BLM supporter who lost his eye after being shot in the face by police during a "peaceful" protest is suing for damages.
The man, from is suing both the city and county of Denver after claiming he was shot with a rubber bullet in the right eye by police during a protest.
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Russell Strong claims it left him blinded in his right eye - and had it replaced with a prosthetic eye following the injury last June at a protest over the death of George Floyd.
Recalling the incident, Mr Strong said he was carrying a sign that read, "No Justice, No Peace", when he was shot by the rubber bullet.
But the protester says he did nothing to antagonize police during the demonstration - and is now launching a lawsuit.
His lawyers claim they will not only sue police, but also "hold the City of Denver accountable for its policies and its customs" around the time of the incident.
He said: "I’m hoping (this lawsuit) means a chance to review what happened, (and) tell my story.
"I certainly didn’t go there with the intent of causing mischief, you know what I mean?
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"It was a peaceful protest in the park. I’m holding a peace sign.
"A lot of people feel like it was about saying, ‘F the police,’ and for me, it’s not about that. "
He added: "The police are just as much a part of this community as the citizens, and so, I’m not there trying to have a war between me and the police."
Police tactics at the protests were called ‘troubling’ by the city’s independent oversight body afterwards.
The lawsuit, seen by Fox, names an unidentified officer, Officer Doe, as a co-defendant with the City and County of Denver.
This is reportedly because attorneys and police who investigated the incident have said they’ve been unable to identify the specific person who struck Mr Strong with the bullet.
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It is for this reason that the Denver district attorney declined the case for criminal charges for that reason.
The lawsuits reads: "Without even giving warning to those they promised to serve and protect, Officers in Denver opened fire on the protesters.
"Defendant Officer Doe took aim, fired, and shot Mr. Strong in the head with a Kinetic Impact Projectile (‘KIP). The impact knocked Mr. Strong to the ground and blood began flowing from his eye socket."
The suit claims Officer Doe was "employed by either the Aurora Police Department or the DPD."
Representing Strong, lawyer Mat Cron added: "‘We have every reason to believe that we will be able to identify the officer who shot Mr. Strong and took his eye, but even if not, we’re prepared to hold the City of Denver accountable for its policies and its customs that allowed for this to occur.
"The problem in this case is that so many officers were using force that it becomes difficult to pinpoint exactly which officer is responsible."
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It comes as a woman launched her own lawsuit against police after after being shot with a projectile during a George Floyd protest.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
the ACLU of filed a lawsuit in US District Court on behalf of Elise Poole, a Lincoln woman injured during a protest on May 31 last year.
But an officer shot Poole with “an impact munition, severing her nose from her face."
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