Incident Details
- Date of Incident
- June 4, 2020
- Location
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Assailant
- Private individual
- Was the journalist targeted?
- Yes
Assault
National Guard and Police maintain barricades near City Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on June 1, following days of protests. Three days later, a bystander attacked an AP photojournalist as the mayor and police commissioner toured the area.
Man who punched AP photographer sentenced to prison
The man who assaulted Associated Press photojournalist Matt Rourke while Rourke was covering a press tour by Philadelphia city officials was sentenced to prison on March 21, 2024, according to court documents reviewed by the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.
Rourke was photographing Philadelphia’s then police commissioner and mayor in North Philadelphia in June 2020 as they toured the area following days of Black Lives Matter protests spurred by the police killing of George Floyd. Philadelphia resident Derreck King approached Rourke and punched him in the face, seemingly without cause, according to the AP. The AP, the Tracker and other sources originally published King’s first name as Derrick, one of several aliases listed in his court documents.
Rourke lost consciousness and fell to the ground; he was treated at a hospital for facial injuries. King was tackled by police officers and taken into custody.
King was sentenced in Philadelphia County’s Court of Common Pleas to at least four and up to 20 years in prison for assault, and to four years of probation for reckless endangerment and resisting arrest.
Associated Press photojournalist Matt Rourke was assaulted while covering an event in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on June 4, 2020.
Rourke was part of a news crew photographing and interviewing Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw and Mayor Jim Kenney in North Philadelphia as the two toured the area following days of protests spurred by the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The AP reported that as Outlaw and Kenney crossed the street, a bystander approached Rourke and punched him in the face, causing him to lose consciousness and fall to the ground. The outlet wrote that it is unclear what prompted the attack.
Officers tackled the man — later identified as Derrick King — and took him into custody. King has been charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, endangering another person and resisting arrest, the Tribune reported.
The Philadelphia Police Department did not respond to requests for comment.
Rourke, who could not be reached for comment, was treated at a hospital for significant facial injuries and has since been released.
King is facing charges of aggravated assault, simple assault, endangering another person and resisting arrest, the AP reported.
The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker catalogues press freedom violations in the United States. Email tips to [email protected].