Linda Tirado, a photojournalist who was shot in the face with a rubber bullet by Minneapolis police during the 2020 George Floyd protests, has entered hospice care and is reportedly dying from her injuries.
Linda Tirado, a 42-year-old photojournalist who covered the unrest following the tragic death of George Floyd, has entered hospice care and is reportedly dying from injuries she sustained during the protests.
In May 2020, Tirado was covering the protests in Minneapolis when she was shot in the face with a rubber bullet by police. The incident left her with a traumatic brain injury and blind in one eye.
Tragic End: Minneapolis Photojournalist Dies from Injuries Sustained During 2020 George Floyd Protests
Tirado filed a lawsuit following her injuries, alleging that police "ignored the press credential she wore around her neck," marked her with a "ballistic tracking round" and "shot her in her face with foam bullets" as she took photos outside the precinct building in south Minneapolis. She was awarded $600,000 from the city, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported.
However, most of that money has gone toward medical expenses, National Press Club President Emily Wilkins said in a lengthy statement posted to X.
Tragic End: Minneapolis Photojournalist Dies from Injuries Sustained During 2020 George Floyd Protests
"We send our love and admiration to Linda Tirado, a freelance photojournalist who we learned today has entered a hospice in Tennessee," Wilkins wrote in part on Thursday. "We are also sending some funding to support the costs of her care."
Tirado recently posted on her own Substack that she is "getting ready to die" and shared some of the emotions she's been navigating. In the piece, she does not detail her diagnosis.
Tragic End: Minneapolis Photojournalist Dies from Injuries Sustained During 2020 George Floyd Protests
"I know that I'm lucky to have been diagnosed early, so that I have time to write another book or at least put all my journals in one place so that if I go sooner than we think I will, someone will be able to read them all and pull out enough words to publish on my behalf," she wrote.
"But I don't feel lucky, or unlucky," she continued. "I feel like the sweeping notes in the Flower Song, the Nessun Dorma, anything that Vivaldi ever wrote. I feel nothing but joy and peace and pain and fear, all of it all at once so that it bleeds into itself and can only be described as emotion raw and pure and beautiful and perfect, and also fleeting."
Tragic End: Minneapolis Photojournalist Dies from Injuries Sustained During 2020 George Floyd Protests
Tirado's tragic demise has sparked outrage and calls for accountability. Protests erupted in Minneapolis and other major cities across the country following Floyd's death. The officer who restrained Floyd by kneeling on his neck, Derek Chauvin, was convicted of his murder in 2021.
Floyd's death sparked nationwide protests and riots, as well as calls by progressives to "defund the police." The Minneapolis City Council has since taken steps to reform the police department, including adding new jobs and providing additional training for officers.
However, the death of Linda Tirado serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing challenges and deep-seated issues within the criminal justice system. Her case highlights the importance of protecting freedom of the press and ensuring that those who exercise their First Amendment rights are not met with violence or excessive force.
As Tirado enters her final days, her story continues to inspire and provoke reflection on the systemic injustices that continue to plague our society. Her legacy as a courageous photojournalist who fought for truth and justice will forever be etched in the annals of history.
