LA Protester Shot in Eye by Rubber Bullet: “My Vision Is a Big Question Mark”

Marshall Woodruff joined thousands at the “No Kings Day” rally in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday, peacefully standing with others for what he believed in. But the day took a terrifying turn when chaos broke out—and a rubber bullet struck him in the face.

“It was peaceful, and then suddenly it wasn’t,” Marshall said from his hospital bed. “They just started firing rubber bullets everywhere.” One of them fractured his cheek and tore into his eye. After a four-hour emergency surgery, doctors still don’t know if he’ll regain vision in his right eye.

Someone helped Marshall reach an LAPD car, and officers rushed him to an ambulance. The LAPD says officers were hit with bottles and bricks, prompting them to declare an unlawful assembly and disperse the crowd. Both officers and protesters were injured.

Marshall’s friends, Jazz Egger and Gavin Prophet, have been by his side, helping raise funds for his medical bills through GoFundMe. Gavin, who was near Marshall when it happened, said, “There may have been a few agitators, but the force used didn’t match what was happening.”

Jazz added, “We need to stand together, no matter our differences. Love is the only way forward.”

Now, Marshall waits—unsure what the future holds for his vision, but surrounded by support and a community that refuses to let his story go unheard.