Non-violent citizens again targeted and gravely injured
One video shows the protester holding a speaker while standing across the street from the courthouse between two parked cars. Police, who appear to be federal officers, throw a canister that lands at his feet, which he lightly tosses away from him and toward the officers. It lands partway across the street.
A few seconds later, a firing sound can be heard, and the man collapses to the ground, dropping the speaker. The video shows no sign of aggressive provocation on the part of the protester, who appeared to be standing alone.
The protester in the video is 26-year-old Donavan La Bella, as OPB News first reported. Friends told OPB that La Bella was a regular and nonviolent presence at protests.
Another video, which contains graphic imagery and language, was tweeted by independent journalist Garrison Davis shortly before 10 p.m. that reportedly shows the aftermath.
The protester is shown bleeding on the sidewalk and appears to be unconscious after being hit with “what appears to be an impact munition” in the face, Davis narrated. Several protesters rush to check on him and carry him away, revealing the splatters of blood on the sidewalk. The officers are standing across the street and are not reacting.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the Federal Protective Service charged with security for federal property, and the Portland Police Bureau did not immediately respond to requests to comment.
His mother said his face and skull were fractured and that he finished facial reconstructive surgery early Sunday morning.
“He still has a tube in his skull to drain the blood,” Desiree La Bella, Donavan’s mother, told The Oregonian/OregonLive. She added that he needs neurological checks every hour and is showing signs of confusion. He also has had an MRI for vision problems in his left eye.
