2 photographers sue Kenosha County over injuries they received during 2020 protests

Two freelance photographers are suing Kenosha County and several other jurisdictions, saying their civil rights were violated by law enforcement as they covered the demonstrations that followed the police shooting of Jacob Blake.

Alyssa Schukar and Scott Olson were injured by rubber bullets fired by officers while they photographed the protests that erupted in Kenosha just days after Blake was shot by police Aug. 23, 2020.

They argue in the lawsuit, filed July 4, their First, Fourth and Fourteen Amendment rights were violated.

Schukar, a Washington, D.C.-based photographer, was on assignment for the New York Times, while Olson was working for Getty Images.

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Both were injured Aug. 25, 2020, when they were shot with rubber bullets. Olson was struck in the head by a round, and Schukar was hit in the hand, requiring surgery and ongoing physical therapy.

"This excessive force and unconstitutional constraint on Plaintiffs’ civil and constitutional rights resulted in physical injuries and emotional distress," the plaintiffs say in the lawsuit.

Schukar and Olson are seeking punitive damages and legal fees. They also accuse the city and county governments and law enforcement department heads of failing to train and supervise their officers properly.

Among those named as respondents are Kenosha County Sheriff David G. Beth, former Kenosha police Chief Daniel G. Miskinis and Waukesha County Sheriff Eric J. Severson.

Beth, Miskinis and Severson should be held liable because they each "had final responsibility for the policies and procedures" of their departments during the incident, the lawsuit states.

Other officers, including several identified only as John Does, also were named as respondents because they were "acting within the scope of his employment and under color of the statutes, ordinances, customs, policies, and usages of the State of Wisconsin."

Numerous protests developed in the hours and days after Blake was shot seven times by Kenosha police officer Rusten Sheskey.

Attempts to disable Blake with a Taser were ineffective, and Sheskey believed Blake was going to stab him. Four of the shots by Sheskey hit Blake's back, leaving him paralyzed.

Several lawsuits were filed against law enforcement, including one by Blake's uncle.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Kenosha County sued by 2 injured photographers over 2020 protests