KENOSHA, Wis. (AP) — Two freelance photographers have filed a lawsuit alleging that police unlawfully shot them with rubber bullets during a protest over police racism in Wisconsin three years ago.
Alyssa Schukar and Scott Olson filed the lawsuit in federal court in Milwaukee on July 4. According to the lawsuit, Schukar and Olson were assigned to cover in August 2020 for the New York Times and Getty Images, respectively.
The protests erupted after a white police officer shot Jacob Blake, who is Black, seven times during a domestic disturbance. The shooting .
The demonstrations went on for days. Kyle Rittenhouse, a teen who lived in nearby Illinois at the time, shot three men during a protest on Aug. 23, killing two of them. of homicide and reckless endangerment charges in November 2021 after he said he acted in self-defense. Rittenhouse was 17 years old on the night of the shootings.
Schukar and Olson were covering when officers shot Schukar in the hand and Olson in the head with rubber bullets and sprayed them with chemical agents, according to the lawsuit. They allege police used excessive force in violation of their constitutional rights to free speech and due process, and they are seeking unspecified damages.
The lawsuit names Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth, former Kenosha Police Chief Daniel Miskinis , and 10 unnamed sheriff deputies and police officers as defendants.
Attorneys for the county and city didn't immediately respond to Thursday messages seeking comment.
