Photographer Shot in the Head by Rubber Bullet While Covering L.A. Protests

A photographer was shot in the forehead by a rubber bullet while covering the protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in Los Angeles over the weekend.

On Sunday, June 8, Toby Canham, 59, was reporting on the protests for the New York Post near the 101 freeway when a California Highway Patrol (CHP) officer fired a bullet at him from around 100 yards away, per the outlet.

Following the incident, Canham posted a selfie on his Instagram Stories showing followers his painful-looking head injury. He also shared a photo of what appeared to be the moment the officer reportedly fired his weapon toward him, writing, “Incoming.”

The New York Post shared footage of the moment the photographer was shot, before he dropped his camera and shouted out in pain.

“I just got shot in the head,” Canham appeared to tell somebody off-camera after they asked what had happened.

According to the New York Post, Canham, who previously served in the British Army, was treated at the hospital for whiplash and neck pain on Monday, June 9.

“When I got whacked, to my best recollection, it was just me filming with my cameras on and then I got shot,” he told the outlet.

“Where I was hit, I was the only person overlooking the freeway. I wasn’t surrounded so I was an easy target,” he added.

Before he was hit by the rubber bullet, Canham said that a flashbang grenade had exploded a few feet away from him. He said he had two holes in his trousers from the shrapnel following the explosion, the publication noted.

PEOPLE was unable to contact Canham for additional information.

Over the weekend multiple people were arrested amid the escalating protests, which began on Friday, June 6, after dozens were detained by federal immigration agents across several locations, per CNN.

On the same day as Canham was hit, an Australian reporter was also shot by a rubber bullet live on air while she was covering the protests for 9 News Australia.

Lauren Tomasi, who is the outlet’s U.S. correspondent, was hit as she was “caught in the crossfire as the LAPD (Los Angeles Police Department) fired rubber bullets at protesters in the heart” of the city, per an X post, which included a video of the moment the reporter was struck.

In the video, Tomasi told the camera that the situation had “rapidly deteriorated,” adding, “The LAPD moving in on horseback, firing rubber bullets at protesters, moving them on through the heart of L.A.”

Tomasi was then shot in the leg, as she screamed, before insisting, “I’m good.”

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There have been multiple reports about journalists being injured while covering the L.A. protests.

On Monday, the Committee to Protect Journalists, Inc. shared a statement from the non-profit organization’s U.S., Canada, and Caribbean Program Coordinator, Katherine Jacobsen, which read, “We are greatly concerned by the reports of law enforcement officers’ shooting non-lethal rounds at reporters covering protests in Los Angeles.” 

“Any attempt to discourage or silence media coverage by intimidating or injuring journalists should not be tolerated,” the message added. “It is incumbent upon authorities to respect the media’s role of documenting issues of public interest.” 

According to the organization, more than 20 other journalists are reported to have been assaulted or obstructed in the protests, which saw tensions rise after President Donald Trump deployed thousands of National Guard troops to the area.