Journalist Shot with Explosive Device While Wearing Press Badge at L.A. Protest Shares His 'Surprise' at Officers' Escalation

Photojournalist Nick Stern is recovering aft being changeable pinch an explosive instrumentality by rule enforcement while covering a protestation successful Los Angeles complete ICE raids, contempt wearing a visible property badge and carrying master camera equipment.

Speaking from his infirmary furniture astatine Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, Stern says he was “surprised” by what he describes arsenic a abrupt escalation by deputies.

“I was photographing group who were conscionable waving Mexican flags,” Stern tells PEOPLE. “Then I felt this tremendous symptom successful my near thigh.”

He is presently being treated pursuing emergency room aft nan instrumentality became profoundly embedded successful his leg.

The incident occurred astir 9 p.m. section clip connected Saturday, June 7, during a protestation that erupted successful consequence to reported Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids crossed Southern California. Demonstrators gathered to sound guidance to migration enforcement, prompting a beardown consequence from rule enforcement and escalating into clashes.

Stern says he was opinionated down a group of serene protesters — not hiding, not obstructing — erstwhile nan changeable was fired.

“I ever deterioration my property ID astir my cervix truthful it’s highly visible,” he says. “I was carrying a ample camera pinch a video camera attached. I make judge I’m intelligibly identifiable arsenic media.”

“I was amazed they were firing thing astatine all,” he adds. “Where I was standing, location was thing much than group waving flags. I wasn’t alert of anyone throwing projectiles aliases doing thing aggressive.”

According to Stern, it was members of nan Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department who opened occurrence from what he describes arsenic a “skirmish line” formed down their vehicles.

“There was nary approach. They were conscionable firing from a protect position down their cars,” he says.

The projectile, later removed during surgery, was a flash bang explosive instrumentality successful a difficult integrative casing.

“It’s astir 3 inches agelong and an inch successful diameter, pinch a rounded nose. It wholly buried itself into my limb muscle. It wasn’t a aboveground injury, it was afloat embedded," he explains.

Stern, who has covered protests astir nan world, says this isn’t nan first clip he’s been injured connected nan job. During nan 2020 George Floyd protests, he was struck by a foam projectile — a bruise that lasted weeks, but didn't origin immoderate imperishable damage.

“That was painful, but it didn’t break nan skin. This one? I needed surgery.”

After being deed Saturday night, Stern says he called for help. A group of adjacent protesters rushed over, carried him to nan sidewalk, and flagged down a medic. “They trim disconnected my pants to look astatine nan wounded and applied first aid,” he recalls. “I really passed retired from nan pain.”

He was taken to nan infirmary and underwent room nan adjacent greeting to region nan device.

Though he’s eager to return location to be his son’s graduation, Stern says betterment will return clip and effort. He’s presently incapable to locomotion and remains hooked up to antibiotics and a coiled drainage system.

“The coiled is truthful ample they had to connect a vacuum drain to propulsion retired fluid,” he says. “I’ll beryllium sent location pinch it, connected to my limb 24/7 for astatine slightest 2 weeks.”

One of his main concerns now is infection. Because nan instrumentality was embedded truthful profoundly and near successful his assemblage overnight, he’s being intimately monitored and treated pinch IV antibiotics.

“Fortunately, my woman is simply a caregiver and a coiled attraction specialist, truthful she tin do a batch of nan procedures astatine home,” he says. “But correct now, I can’t moreover stand. I’m hoping beingness therapy coming will thief find nan adjacent step.”

As for really nan acquisition mightiness alteration nan measurement he approaches his work, Stern tells PEOPLE it’s complicated.

“I’d for illustration to opportunity it won’t alteration really I work,” he says while quoting world-renowned photographer Robert Capa. “(He) said, ‘If your pictures aren’t bully enough, you’re not adjacent enough.’ That’s been my philosophy. But being adjacent puts you astatine risk.”

“Law enforcement successful Los Angeles really needs to look astatine really they dainty nan media,” he adds. “There’s been clear targeting. Not conscionable now, but going backmost to 2020. It’s disgraceful that thing has changed.”

Still, Stern says nan activity remains basal moreover if nan risks person go much personal.

“Your information and wellness should travel first. But if you lead pinch that, you can’t do nan occupation you’re retired location to do,” he says. “Documenting what’s happening successful nan U.S. correct now is truthful important; socially, politically, culturally. It needs to beryllium seen. It needs to beryllium recorded. We can’t move distant from it.”

As he continues to recover, Stern says nan incident has near him shaken and pinch lingering questions.

“I person a imaginable belief that they do target media, but I person thing to beryllium that,” he says.

Despite it all, he remains committed to nan activity and to telling nan truth, nary matter really vulnerable it becomes.

A typical for nan L.A. Sheriff’s Department said successful a connection shared pinch PEOPLE connected Monday, June 9: “The Department is still reviewing video footage of nan incident involving United Kingdom newsman Nick Stern, and it is not clear astatine this clip whether our section was progressive successful this incident. After reviewing nan footage involving Australian newsman Lauren Tomasi, it appears that it progressive different rule enforcement agency and not nan Sheriff’s Department.”

“We are committed to an unfastened and transparent narration pinch members of nan media and are committed to ensuring they tin execute their duties safely while covering events, including protests, civilian disobedience, and nationalist gatherings," nan connection continues. "The LA County Sheriff’s Department values its narration pinch nan media and remains firmly committed to transparency, particularly during emergencies and captious incidents. We admit nan basal domiciled journalists play successful keeping nan nationalist accurately informed, and we strive to facilitate media entree safely and effectively.”

“LASD prioritizes maintaining entree for credentialed members of nan press, moreover successful restricted areas erstwhile safe to do so. Our extremity is to guarantee that nan media tin transportation retired its responsibilities while we uphold nationalist information and operational integrity,” nan connection reads.

“The LASD does not condone immoderate actions that intentionally target members of nan press, and we continuously train our unit to separate and respect nan authorities of intelligibly identified journalists successful nan field. We stay unfastened to moving pinch each media organizations to amended communication, transparency, and information for each parties during nationalist information operations.”