Lawsuit claims MPD officer shot protester in face with projectile last summer

A St. Paul woman is suing the Minneapolis Police Department after claiming that an officer shot her in the face with a projectile while she was exercising her First Amendment right last summer in response to George Floyd’s death.

According to federal court documents, Ana Maria Gelhaye is named as the plaintiff in this case. The defendants named include the officer who allegedly shot the projectile (named as "John Doe"), Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo and the City of Minneapolis.

The suit states Gelhaye was peacefully protesting with others outside the department’s 3rd Precinct two days after Floyd was killed. She also was streaming the protest to Facebook Live, and while she was doing so, an officer allegedly shot Gelhaye with a 40 mm "less-lethal" round at her face. The wound resulted in severe and permanent injury to her right eye, resulting in costly medical bills, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit also shows multiple photos from the protest as seen through her Facebook Live. A photo also shows the injury suffered by Gelhaye while she was still recording the livestream.

The woman further states that no warnings were given in advance before the officer fired his weapon.

A handful of lawsuits have been filed against MPD and other law enforcement agencies over the use of "less-lethal force" during protests last year.

To see the complete filing of the lawsuit, see below or click here if on a mobile device.