Incident Details
- Date of Incident
- May 31, 2020
- Location
- Des Moines, Iowa
- Assailant
- Law enforcement
- Was the journalist targeted?
- Unknown
Assault
A photojournalist covering protests in Des Moines, Iowa, tweeted that he was hit in the thigh by a rubber bullet fired by police on May 31, 2020.
The journalist, Bryon Houlgrave of the Des Moines Register, declined to comment further about the incident.
Demonstrations that night included a march starting at Evelyn K. Davis Park, a candlelight vigil, and protests outside Merle Hay Mall and Des Moines police headquarters, the Register reported.
Register reporter Andrea Sahouri was pepper-sprayed and arrested while documenting the Merle Hay Mall demonstration.
The journalists were covering the third night of protests in the city in response to police violence and in support of the Black Lives Matter movement following the May 25 death of George Floyd. The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker is documenting assaults, arrests and other incidents involving journalists covering protests across the country.
The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker catalogues press freedom violations in the United States. Email tips to [email protected].
