MINNEAPOLIS — A Twin Cities man has filed a lawsuit against the city of Minneapolis and its police department, alleging an MPD officer shot him in the head with a non-lethal projectile during a peaceful protest following George Floyd's murder.
Court documents lay out the allegations by Mason Hermann, who claims he suffered life-changing injuries during the protest outside the MPD's 3rd precinct on May 27, 2020.
The lawsuit - filed Sept. 29 in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis - says Hermann was part of a group calmly protesting the deaths of Floyd and other Black citizens on that day when an MPD officer perched on the roof of the precinct purposely targeted him without warning, firing a non-lethal 40mm projectile directly into the left side of his head.
Hermann said he was not in a restricted area, had not displayed aggression, was unarmed, and was given no commands by police before the shot was fired. The lawsuit said as he traveled home from the protest that evening he noticed "a progressive decline in his neurological functioning."
He was eventually transported to a hospital in River Falls, Wis., and then transferred to Regions Hospital in St. Paul where Hermann was diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury.
The lawsuit claims that since that day, Hermann has experienced a decline in his mental health, struggling with short-term memory loss, headaches and fatigue. The plaintiff says his injuries have impacted his daily functioning and interpersonal relationships.
To support their case, Hermann's legal team documents multiple lawsuits Minneapolis has settled with others who alleged police misconduct and violation of their First Amendment rights, also noting that a probe by the Department of Justice found that MPD has engaged in a persistent pattern of conduct that deprives residents of their constitutional rights.
Mason Hermann is seeking a jury trial and asking for financial compensation to be determined by jurors that includes special and compensatory damages, attorneys fees and injunctive relief forcing the city of Minneapolis and MPD to stop engaging in unconstitutional or otherwise unlawful policies, practices and customs.