University of Minnesota study examines serious injuries caused by less-lethal police weapons

During the protests over the death of George Floyd last spring, local doctors began to witness an influx of patients at area hospitals and urgent care wanting to be seen for what they call "traumatic injuries." Health care professionals said they saw an increase in the number of head, neck, and eye injuries. "We saw a massive increase right away," said Sam Cramer, a neurology resident at the University of Minnesota.  The increase in numbers was worrisome for health care professionals like Dr. Cramer. That’s what prompted them to dive deeper into what caused the injuries. After examining 89 patients, health care professionals found that nonlethal weapons caused a substantial number of patients with serious injuries to the head, neck and face in their latest study.  "Most of those patients were injured by kinetic impact projectiles which include rubber bullets and tear gas canisters," said Erika Kaske, a U of M medical student. 

Why Minneapolis police were trying to arrest Dolal Idd

A search warrant filed in the deadly Minneapolis police shooting of Dolal Idd provides more details about the weapons investigation that led to the gunfight between Idd and the MPD Community Response Team.