An Iraq War veteran, Scott Olsen, was critically injured by a projectile that struck him in the head during the chaotic conflict between police and protestors in Oakland Tuesday. It’s unclear what the object was or who threw it.
Olsen, 24, was unconscious after being struck in the head by an unknown projectile at the intersection of 14th and Broadway streets, when several protesters attempted to carry him away from danger. As fellow protesters were getting ready to lift Olsen, an officer wearing what appears to be a black sheriff’s department uniform, stepped back from a police barricade and tossed an incendiary tear gas canister directly at the protesters and Olsen. The explosion scattered those who were attempting to help Olsen.
Friends say the veteran, originally from Wisconsin, suffered a two-inch skull fracture on the left side of his head with resulting brain swelling. Olsen was reported be unconscious on a respirator.