Minneapolis has agreed to a $2.4 million settlement with a man who lost his eye during the George Floyd protests.
Soren Stevenson announced the reached settlement on Wednesday, noting that he had been shot in the eye by a “nonlethal projectile” by an officer amid the protests connected to Derek Chauvin’s killing of Floyd.
“He was out there to change MPD behavior, including demanding accountability and transparency,” Stevenson’s attorney Katie Bennett told reporters at a press event. “He expressed his opinion under the First Amendment to the Constitution. He did so peacefully. He was not armed. He was not breaking curfew. He was not part of any riot. He was not an arsonist or looter.”
Stevenson said he was peacefully protesting near Interstate 35W in a grassy area when Minneapolis police officer Benjamin Bauer fired a 40 mm blunt impact projectile at him. The projectile struck him directly in his left eye, damaging it to the point of requiring the eye to be surgically removed. Stevenson’s attorneys also claimed that he suffered a concussion and continues to experience PTSD from the experience.
DC MAYOR PROPOSES RAISING POLICE BUDGET BY ALMOST 6%
Bennett noted that while the projectiles are defined as “nonlethal,” police officers have stated under oath that they can cause serious injury or death. She also argued that officers would need permission to use deadly force to fire such a projectile at a person’s head justifiably and that Bauer did not have that permission.
“The City Attorney’s Office, after consultation with the City Council, served on the plaintiff, in this case, a Federal Rule 68 Offer of Judgment in the amount of $2.4M,” the city of Minneapolis said in a statement. “The plaintiff accepted this judgment. No further Council action is required.”
While Stevenson and his attorneys agreed to the settlement, they said they intend to seek payment for additional costs, including legal fees and other matters. Bennett is also representing a second person who lost an eye amid the 2020 protests.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
While the Minneapolis protests may have ended in 2020, the legal ramifications continue to arise. Three former police officers were found guilty on Feb. 24 of violating Floyd’s civil rights.
