Journalist hit by crowd-control munition while covering Minnesota protest

Independent journalist Jordyn Gualdani was hit in the shoulder with a crowd-control munition fired by federal agents and suffered a concussion while documenting a Minneapolis, Minnesota, protest on Jan. 24, 2026.

Demonstrations in the Twin Cities area had been mounting since the beginning of January, following the expansion of an immigration enforcement crackdown known as Operation Metro Surge. Earlier that day, federal officers shot and killed Minneapolis resident Alex Pretti as he filmed their activities and attempted to help a woman they had pushed to the ground.

Gualdani told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that he was reporting on the protest following Pretti’s killing for independent outlet Folhetim Carambola. He said he was taking a photo of a protester from behind who had their arms up, chanting “arms up don’t shoot,” when he was hit by what he believed was a flash-bang grenade in his right shoulder. “My backpack and plate carrier took most of the hit,” Gualdani added.

He captured the moment he was struck in a photo posted on Instagram.

“I was visibly identifiable as press. My credentials were on my plate carrier,” Gualdani said, referring to his body armor. “The carrier itself said ‘press,’ my backpack said ‘press,’ my helmet said ‘press.’”

“My camera was also hit with a pepper ball that left a streak on the back of it. It eventually rubbed off a couple days later,” he added.

The journalist said he was unsure which law enforcement agency fired the shot. He added that, initially, he did not think he was targeted, until he heard reports from other journalists that they may have been targeted with crowd-control munitions.

“After continuing to document through tear gas without an adequate mask, I was pulled into an apartment building by the residents there. Since it was a safe place, I used the time to wash off, file images, and charge my batteries,” he said, adding that he then began to feel confused and foggy.

Gualdani said he sought medical treatment when he arrived home, and that he spent the next week recovering from a concussion. He added that the time away from work “cost me a lot.”