KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Friday marks the one-week mark since protests on police brutality started at the J.C. Nichols Fountain at Mill Creek Park in Kansas City, Missouri, and the interactions between police and protesters has evolved significantly.
Most recently, protesters have largely had the fountain and the park to themselves, as police have stepped back their presence.
But that wasn't the case when the protests first started.
“The use of force that we experienced was grossly excessive and unreasonable," Sydney Ragsdale said.
During protests on Saturday, May 30, Ragsdale and boyfriend Sean Searns were both injured.
“We were in the park when it happened, which was where we were led to believe is where they wanted us to go, and we were trying to get out of the way and trying to flee to safety already because I had gotten injured," Ragsdale said.
While she fell and hit her head, Ragsdale told 41 Action News that Searns was shot in the eye by police with a projectile. Ragsdale said it could have been an accident, but calls it an unacceptable one.
“I pulled his hands away from his face and he was just gushing blood and I couldn’t tell if he had been shot with a real bullet, if his eye was still in his head, so I like picked him up and I was just filled with adrenaline and fear and like we have to get out of here," Ragsdale said.
The department says it's aware of the incident, which is under investigation. Police spokespeople have confirmed at various points during the week of protests that pepper spray, tear gas, and less lethal bean bag and baton rounds have been used.
A spokesperson for Kansas City Police said injuries are "terrible and unfortunate," and while responding to resistance, police "never intend to cause harm but provide safety of the crowd."
“Somebody who was helping his girlfriend, somebody that was helping someone who was injured, for it to happen to somebody like that, it’s completely unreasonable and they need to be trained better," Ragsdale said.
41 Action News obtained department guidelines in regards to the use of non-deadly force. It said in part, officers may use tear gas and projectiles to make an arrest, protect themselves and others, restrain or subdue a resistant individual, and, or, bring an unlawful situation under control.
“I would really like to see police focus on deescalating conflict instead of escalating it," Ragsdale said.
On Thursday, the Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners announced several changes in the wake of the protests.
Ragsdale told 41 Action News that Searns underwent surgery at Saint Luke's Hospital and was told by doctors that he might not be able to see out of his left eye again.
