A British news photographer, Nick Stern, has undergone emergency surgery after being hit by a non-lethal bullet while covering protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Los Angeles.
Gatekeepers News reports that the incident occurred on Sunday when Stern was documenting a stand-off between police and protesters outside a Home Depot store in Paramount, south of LA.
Stern, who has been based in the US since 2007, said he was struck in the thigh by a three-inch “plastic bullet” while taking photos in the middle of the road. “I suddenly got this terrific pain on my leg,” he told the BBC. Despite wearing a press card and a big camera around his neck, Stern was unable to avoid the injury.
Protesters rushed to his aid, carrying him away from the danger area before a medic treated his wound. Stern is now recovering at Long Beach Memorial Medical Centre after emergency surgery to remove the bullet.
The protests in LA are part of a larger movement against immigration raids, which have been increasing under US President Donald Trump’s administration. Trump has promised mass deportations of undocumented immigrants and deployed 2,000 National Guard troops to California to deal with the unrest. However, the Democratic governor of California has appealed to Trump to pull the troops out, accusing the White House of inflaming tensions.
Stern, who has covered protests and riots worldwide, said he intends to return to work as soon as possible. “This is too important and it needs documenting,” he said. Another journalist, Australian Lauren Tomasi, was also injured in a similar incident while filming for 9 News.
