News Photographer Has His Finger Broken by Federal Officer

A photographer covering anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles says he was shot by an officer with a less-lethal weapon and suffered a broken bone as a result.

Mario Guerrero is an independent freelancer and he tells KTLA that he was wearing a media vest and was following police orders.

But despite this, he says one of the officers started firing rubber bullets at him. One caught the ring finger on his left hand and broke it so badly that he required surgery. The recovery means he’s unable to operate his camera for an unknown period of time.

“I identified myself and I had a vest that says ‘Media’ in big white bold letters,” Guerrero tells KTLA.

The freelancer, who was on for stringer company OC Hawk the night of January 31, says it was a scene of chaos. “Both sides [protesters and federal officers] were going at each other’s faces,” Guerrero says.

The incident took place outside the Metropolitan Detention Center in Downtown L.A. after a dispersal order had been issued by the LAPD. Some protesters refused to leave and began throwing “bottles, rocks and industrial-sized fireworks” at authorities.

But despite the chaotic scene, Guerrero feels the incident was preventable and wants some accountability.

“You can’t just go out there and start shooting people who are identifying themselves as a member of the press,” he tells KTLA.

“There should be more training on how to deal with crowd control, especially when you have members of the media who are trying to do their job and are not trying to interfere or be a part of it.”

He has set up a GoFundMe page. “As an independent journalist, I rely on my work to cover my everyday expenses. With this unexpected injury, I am unable to earn an income and am facing mounting bills for rent and utilities. The uncertainty of when I will be able to return to work has made this time especially challenging, both financially and emotionally,” Guerrero writes.

Image credits: Photographs via GoFundMe.