Minneapolis man shot by rubber bullet during George Floyd unrest sues city for $1.5 million
MINNEAPOLIS — A man is suing Minneapolis and its police department for $1.5 million after an officer allegedly shot him in the head with a rubber bullet while he was waiting for a bus during the unrest following George Floyd's murder in 2020.
On May 27, 2020, Abdi Edan Adam, 56 at the time, was in the area of Minnehaha Avenue and Lake Street attempting to catch the bus home when citizens began gathering to protest the death of George Floyd, according to the lawsuit filed last Wednesday.
The lawsuit says Adam was outside MPD's 3rd Precinct on Lake Street along with a crowd of peaceful protesters, though he was not there to protest, but as a neighborhood resident.
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Adam says no order to disperse had been given by the police when, without warning, a police officer allegedly fired a rubber bullet from the roof of the precinct, striking him in the forehead.
Others in the area escorted Adam to a safe location and took him to Allina Hospital for treatment.
As a result of the shooting, the lawsuit claims Adam sustained "numerous neurological injuries, a concussion, pain and suffering, medical bills, other injuries both permanent and temporary, as well as lasting emotional trauma." Additionally, Adam has a permanent scar and dent on his head from where the bullet hit and has suffered from vision problems in his right eye since the attack.
The complaint says the act constitutes unwarranted deadly force and "has no connection to any legitimate law enforcement objective." It goes on to say that Adam's First, Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment rights were violated.
Adam is also suing six officers with the Minneapolis Police Department as well as two of their supervisory officers in their individual and official capacities.
The City of Minneapolis declined to comment on the lawsuit.
Floyd was killed by former officer Derek Chauvin on May 25, 2020, sparking riots and unrest across the United States.
Chauvin was convicted of murder last year and sentenced to 22 years in federal prison. Three other former officers — Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao — are also serving federal sentences for their involvement.
