Incident details
- Date of incident
- January 14, 2026
- Location
- Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Targets
- Pierre Lavie (Freelance)
- Assailant
- Law enforcement
- Was the journalist targeted?
- Yes
Assault
Federal law enforcement at a protest after a shooting in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Jan. 14, 2026. Photojournalist Pierre Lavie was targeted with a crowd-control munition that day.
Freelance photojournalist Pierre Lavie was shot at with a crowd-control munition while documenting immigration protests in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Jan. 14, 2026.
Protests in the state erupted after a federal immigration enforcement surge and the fatal shooting of a woman by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent. Both the city of Minneapolis and the state have since sued the Trump administration, arguing the unprecedented deployment of federal agents violates constitutional rights.
After an ICE officer shot and injured a Venezuelan man that evening, nearby residents gathered to protest, and fireworks were set off near a line of federal law enforcement officers, Lavie told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker. Minnesota state troopers, Hennepin County sheriff’s deputies and Minneapolis police were also present.
While Lavie was photographing the scene, a smoke grenade landed next to his foot. He said he isn’t sure which agency fired it at him, but he was clearly marked as press.
“It would be difficult to say it wasn’t targeted at me,” he said.
The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker catalogs press freedom violations in the United States. Email tips to [email protected].
