Journalist Loses Eye To Police-Fired Tear Gas Canister While Covering George Floyd Protests

Balin Brake, a weekend editor at a local Fort Wayne, Indiana, television station, lost his eye after he was struck in the face by a police-fired gas canisters while covering a demonstration against police violence outside the Allen County Courthouse.

The 21-year-old was taken to the hospital with a ruptured eye and fractured occipital bone, according to a post tied to a Facebook fundraiser set up by his mother, Rachel Simonis.

In a selfie taken after surgery, Brake revealed that he had lost his eye.

By Monday, the fundraiser had raised over $41,000 set to cover his medical bills.

In a statement to WFFT, where Brake works part-time, Fort Wayne police attempted to blame Brake for his injuries by claiming he had bent over to pick up a canister, intending to throw it back at police, when another canister hit him in the eye.

fresh out of post op. I might have to have surgery for broken bones in my face within weeks to come but for now all that happened is I did end up losing my eye. This pales in comparison to the hardships aftican americans have endured for decades. Stand up for what u believe in. pic.twitter.com/9QK69wIgJQ

— lens (@notbalin) May 31, 2020

“There was no deliberate deployment of gas to any person’s head,” Sgt. Sofia Rosales-Scatena told WFFT.

Brake, who was not working for the station at the time, said he had no such intention and would not have tried to pick up a canister, knowing that they were hot and he was not wearing gloves.

Still, Brake told the Journal Gazette losing his eye was “small collateral for the battle we’re fighting” and that as a white man, “if you’re not going to use [your white privilege] to advocate for your fellow people, then that is just wrong.”

Multiple witnesses have also come forward claiming to have seen the incident and supporting Brake’s account.

I definitely saw someone take a direct hit to the face and drop to the ground. I can't say for certain that it was @notbalin but a few of the canisters certainly seemed to be fired at eye level from my perspective.

— Michael Kuhn WANE 15 (@michaelkuhnnews) June 1, 2020

Journalist Linda Tirado also lost an eye after being hit by a rubber bullet while covering a protest in Minneapolis.

Members of the media have been arrested and injured at rates that have shocked many onlookers and journalist organizations.

“I’ve never seen anything quite like this,” Joel Simon, executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, told The Washington Post. “Many of the norms have broken down.”