Protester who lost sight in one eye after being hit by projectile at KC protest sues
A Kansas City man who permanently lost vision in one eye after being struck by a less-lethal projectile during the summer 2020 protests has filed a lawsuit against the City of Kansas City and the Kansas City Police Department’s Board of Police Commissioners.
Sean Sterns was injured during May 2020 protests at The Country Club Plaza in Kansas City that continued for several days. They followed similar demonstrations across the country in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
On May 30 Stearns was hit in the eye by a “scat pack,” the lawsuit says, which is a projectile that travels at a high speed and breaks apart into separate projectiles.
He suffered a ruptured globe of his left eye, subdural hematoma and several fractures. He has lost complete sight in his left eye, according to the lawsuit.
Also named in the court filing are Kansas City Police Department Police Chief Rick Smith and Missouri State Highway Patrol Trooper Jeffrey Spire, who according to the lawsuit, fired the projectile that injured Stearns.
The lawsuit alleges that Smith authorized officers “to use less-lethal weapons to shoot at protesters without warning and in circumstances where there was no imminent risk of physical injury to officers.”
It also alleges that the department failed to supervise officers brought in from different law enforcement agencies who were acting under KCPD’s control.
Stearns contends that his First Amendment rights were violated and that officers engaged in excessive force.
KCPD said the department generally does not comment on pending litigation “to ensure fairness for all sides involved.”
The Missouri State Highway Patrol said it cannot comment on current or pending litigation.
The summer 2020 protests in Kansas City have led to other legal actions against Kansas City police.
The department reached a $200,000 settlement with a man injured by a tear gas canister and is a defendant in an ongoing lawsuit filed by a man and his teenage daughter who were pepper sprayed.
This story was originally published August 27, 2021 at 4:44 PM.
