At a Glance
- A 21-year-old protester lost sight in one eye after a DHS agent fired non-lethal rounds at close range on Jan. 9 in Santa Ana, Calif.
- The victim underwent six hours of surgery; doctors found metal fragments 7 mm from his carotid artery.
- Family says officers delayed medical aid and mocked the injured protester.
- Why it matters: The incident fuels debate over federal force at immigration protests and follows another fatal ICE shooting in Minneapolis.
A protester demonstrating against ICE outside a federal building in Santa Ana, California, was permanently blinded in one eye after a Department of Homeland Security agent opened fire with non-lethal ammunition at close range, according to relatives who spoke with The Los Angeles Times.
The 21-year-old, who uses he/him pronouns and is transitioning, required six hours of emergency surgery after the Jan. 9 encounter, his aunt Jeri Rees told the newspaper.
The Shooting
Rees said the agent fired “just feet” from her nephew, striking him in the face with what family members believe were pepper-ball rounds or similar projectiles. The impact fractured his skull and left plastic, glass and metal shards embedded around his eyes.
Surgeons discovered a piece of metal lodged 7 millimeters from his carotid artery but elected not to remove it, fearing the procedure could be fatal. For the next six weeks, any sneeze or cough risks additional damage, Rees said.
“He could have died,” she told the Times.
Video Evidence
Footage circulated by ABC7 reporter Abigail Velez shows three DHS agents approaching protesters outside the federal building. When one agent attempts to detain a protester, others intervene. A demonstrator carrying a bullhorn runs toward the agents and appears to be struck in the face, collapsing to his knees. An agent then drags the bloodied protester across the pavement and into the building.
A second video reportedly shows the injured man lying on the ground inside the facility while agents fire what seem to be pepper balls at someone trying to record the scene.
Alleged Mocking and Delayed Aid
Rees alleges officers did not immediately call paramedics. Instead, she claims, they pressed her nephew’s face into a pool of his own blood while mocking him.
“‘You’re going to lose your eye,'” she quoted the agents as saying.
Protest Context
Connor Atwood, a member of the social-justice group Dare to Struggle, told the Times that demonstrators assembled around 6:30 p.m. following an earlier Dare to Strumble event. He said the crowd never attempted to enter the building and that tensions escalated only after some protesters began burning an American flag.
Agents had exited the building multiple times throughout the evening, Atwood noted, but the outbreak of violence felt abrupt.
“It wasn’t just completely out of nowhere, but it was very sudden,” he said.
Two Arrests and Federal Response
According to Atwood, Dare to Struggle leader Skye Jones was arrested moments before the protester was shot around 8:30 p.m.
A DHS spokesperson gave a different account to News Of Losangeles, describing a “mob of about 60 rioters” who threw “rocks, bottles and fireworks,” injuring two officers. The agency said two people were arrested on charges of assault on a federal officer and disorderly conduct.
“One of the rioters, who was arrested for disorderly conduct, was taken to the hospital for a cut and was released that night,” the spokesperson said.
The statement concluded: “Make no mistake rioting and assaulting law enforcement is not only dangerous but a crime. Secretary Noem has been clear: Any rioter who obstructs or assaults law enforcement will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Wider Fallout
The Santa Ana protest occurred two days after ICE agent Jonathan Ross fatally shot Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis on Jan. 7. Good, 37, was driving home after dropping off her six-year-old son when agents surrounded her Honda Pilot. Videos show her reversing, then moving forward before Ross fired through the windshield and twice through an open window.
The Trump administration labeled the incident self-defense and accused Good of “domestic terrorism,” while Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey called the White House narrative “bulls—” and warned ICE to “get the f— out” of the city.
