Photojournalist Linda Tirado Dying from Injuries Sustained in Minneapolis Riots

Linda Tirado, a photojournalist who was shot in the face by Minneapolis police in 2020 during the George Floyd protests, has entered hospice care and is dying from her injuries.

Over 120 businesses were looted or destroyed in Minneapolis during the riots that followed the death of George Floyd in 2020. Among those injured in the chaos was freelance photojournalist Linda Tirado, who was shot in the face with a rubber bullet by police.

Tirado's injuries left her with a traumatic brain injury and blind in one eye. She has been slowly deteriorating ever since and is now reportedly dying from her injuries.

Photojournalist Linda Tirado Dying from Injuries Sustained in Minneapolis Riots

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, but most of that money has gone toward medical expenses.

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.

Photojournalist Linda Tirado Dying from Injuries Sustained in Minneapolis Riots

"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."

Photojournalist Linda Tirado Dying from Injuries Sustained in Minneapolis Riots

Tirado's death is a reminder of the violence that erupted in Minneapolis following George Floyd's death. The riots caused widespread destruction and led to the deaths of several people, including Tirado.

The Minneapolis Police Department has been criticized for its handling of the riots. A report by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety found that the department "failed to adequately plan and prepare" for the protests and "failed to deploy its resources effectively."

Photojournalist Linda Tirado Dying from Injuries Sustained in Minneapolis Riots

The police department is currently facing a staffing crisis, with the number of officers at its lowest level in four decades. This is due in part to the large number of officers who have left the department in recent years, as well as the department's inability to recruit and retain new officers.

The Minneapolis City Council is currently considering a proposed 2024 budget that includes $7.6 million in costs for new jobs, including adding 34 full-time positions across four city departments. The budget also includes funding for overtime and body-worn camera footage review.

It remains to be seen whether the Minneapolis Police Department will be able to address its staffing crisis and improve its relationship with the community. However, the death of Linda Tirado is a reminder of the challenges that the department faces.