Incident details
- Date of incident
- May 31, 2020
- Targets
- John Reed (The Stringer)
- Case number
- 1:22-cv-01300
- Case status
- Settled
- Type of case
- Civil
- Assailant
- Law enforcement
- Was the journalist targeted?
- Yes
Assault
Protest outside the State Capitol in Denver on May 31, 2020, over the death of George Floyd. At a demonstration earlier that day, officers shot at journalist John Reed with zip ties.
Journalist John Reed was shot at with zip ties by police in Denver, Colorado, while documenting a May 31, 2020, protest over the murder of George Floyd.
Reed, who was hit repeatedly with police projectiles during several days of demonstrations, later reached a settlement with the city over the incidents.
According to a 2022 complaint filed by Reed and a group of journalists and YouTubers who were documenting police activities, an officer prevented Reed from recording the early morning protest by using a car-mounted spotlight to blind his camera. When Reed redirected the light back, officers then used their vehicle to block the scene.
Officers later told everyone, including journalists, to go home, claiming a city curfew applied to all, even though Reed, who was on assignment for the Denver news outlet The Stringer, told them that the press was exempt.
Finally, an hour later, the complaint said that Denver police carried out “what can only be described as a drive-by shooting” of Reed. Officers standing on the side of a police vehicle saw Reed filming at a street corner as they passed by and shot at him with zip ties.
“There was no intent to disperse or control any of the targets of the shooting. It was clearly purely retributive and punitive,” said the complaint.
The Denver City Council ultimately approved a $398,500 settlement in the case on June 9, 2025, with Reed settling for $77,500.
Also part of the settlement was a separate case involving a photojournalist struck by pepper balls the previous day while documenting a protest.
Since 2020, the city has paid approximately $18.3 million in settlements related to lawsuits against Denver police officers for their actions during the protests.
The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker catalogues press freedom violations in the United States. Email tips to [email protected].
