Incident details
- Date of incident
- January 8, 2026
- Location
- Fresno, California
- Assailant
- Private individual
- Was the journalist targeted?
- No
Assault
Video shot by a KGPE/KSEE photographer just before he was hit by a car while covering a protest in Fresno, California, on Jan. 8, 2026.
A KGPE/KSEE photographer was hit by a car while covering a protest against immigration raids in Fresno, California, on Jan. 8, 2026.
The demonstration followed similar protests in Minnesota after federal officers shot and killed U.S. citizen Renee Good during an immigration operation.
As protesters marched through downtown Fresno, chanting and expressing their frustrations, the photographer was struck by a sedan. His camera was still recording when the collision happened.
“We all heard the very distinct sound of a car coming to an abrupt stop,” reporter Katherine Phillips said in a TV segment that night, adding that she heard the impact and saw protesters gathering around the scene.
“I started filming to see what was going on,” she said in the program, which did not identify the photographer. “I see the camera in the road, and my heart sunk. I just knew it was him.”
After the collision, the photographer was attended by paramedics and, after being checked at a hospital, was discharged with only minor injuries and returned to the newsroom that same night, the TV station reported.
Police told the news outlet that the crash was not intentional and was not believed to be connected to the protest; the driver was not arrested.
The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker catalogs press freedom violations in the United States. Email tips to [email protected].
