Derrick Sanderlin, who teaches police about implicit bias and procedural justice, is severely injured, after being the victim of excessive police force during George Floyd-inspired protests in San Jose.

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Sanderlin claims to have seen officers shooting young women at close range with rubber bullets and decided to intervene: “I really just couldn’t watch it anymore,” he explained. “And just kind of made like a parallel walkover, put my hands up, and just stood in the line of fire and asked them to please not do this.”

The officers proceeded to shoot Sanderlin in the groin with rubber bullets. He needed emergency surgery and doctors say he may not be able to have children.

“I pause for a moment like maybe this isn’t, maybe this doesn’t hurt and falling afterwards is like the most painful experience,” he continued.”The doctor had to let me know before the operation that there’s no way of fully telling until you try to have for kids.”

Sanderlin and his wife Cayla have hired an attorney and plan to fire a claim against the city.

“They were aiming for a body part that is prohibited when using those types of riot guns,” their attorney Sarah Marinho said. “You’re not meant to aim at the groin or the head ever.

“The way that the way that they’ve treated people out there has over the weekend has been really heartbreaking because the chief is like a good person, who’s really trying to do the right thing,” he added.

[Via]