Officer’s Identity and Political Views in LA Reporter Shooting: A Crisis of Trust

On June 8, 2025, a 9News Australia correspondent was struck by a rubber bullet during a live broadcast from downtown Los Angeles, covering volatile protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids. The incident, captured on video, showed the reporter, reporting near the ICE field office at 257 E Temple Street, cry out in pain as an officer fired a nonlethal round at close range, prompting a bystander to shout, “You just shot the reporter!” Days later, on June 10, 2025, reports surfaced claiming the officer’s identity had been revealed, alongside allegations of political views described as “unbelievable,” tied to extreme stances on immigration and protest policing. The Los Angeles Police Department’s (LAPD) response, defending the officer’s actions as protocol-driven while acknowledging an ongoing investigation, has sparked fierce debate, with critics calling it a cover-up for systemic bias. This article explores the incident, the officer’s alleged political affiliations, the LAPD’s controversial stance, and what it reveals about press freedom, policing, and political polarization in 2025.

The Incident: A Reporter Under Fire

The protests began on June 6, 2025, following ICE raids across Los Angeles, part of President Donald Trump’s second-term immigration crackdown, which resulted in at least 118 arrests, including 44 on Friday. By Sunday, the situation escalated as 2,000 National Guard troops, deployed by Trump without California Governor Gavin Newsom’s consent, joined LAPD and California Highway Patrol officers to confront demonstrators near the Metropolitan Detention Center. Protesters, opposing the raids as dehumanizing, engaged in vandalism, threw objects, and set cars ablaze, leading the LAPD to declare an “unlawful assembly” and warn media to keep a safe distance.

The 9News correspondent, reporting live, described the scene as “rapidly deteriorating,” noting LAPD officers on horseback firing rubber bullets to disperse crowds. Seconds later, an officer raised a firearm and fired directly at her, striking her leg. The reporter, visibly in pain but reassuring her crew with, “I’m good,” retreated with her cameraman. 9News confirmed she was “sore but unharmed” and would continue reporting, highlighting the dangers journalists face. The video, shared widely on X by accounts like @9NewsAUS, amassed millions of views, with bystanders and viewers accusing the officer of targeting the press, despite her clear media credentials.

The Officer’s Identity and Political Views: A Shocking Revelation

On June 10, 2025, unverified reports on X, including posts from users like @CMC42 and @oneillquigley, claimed the officer’s identity had been uncovered through crowd-sourced analysis of protest footage and LAPD personnel records. While no official confirmation has emerged, the officer is alleged to be a veteran LAPD member with a history of crowd-control assignments. More controversially, X posts and YouTube videos suggest the officer’s social media activity revealed extreme political views, including support for hardline immigration policies and skepticism of protest movements, described by critics as “unbelievable” for their alignment with far-right rhetoric. These posts, often deleted or private, reportedly included comments praising Trump’s deportation agenda and dismissing journalists as “activists” undermining law enforcement.

The lack of verified evidence makes these claims speculative, but their virality has fueled public outrage. X users like @Joek72 argued that such views, if true, explain the officer’s alleged targeting of the reporter, suggesting bias against media perceived as sympathetic to protesters. Others, like @BrotherJim3, defended the officer, claiming their political beliefs are irrelevant to split-second decisions in a “warzone.” The absence of an official LAPD statement identifying the officer or addressing their views has intensified speculation, with some accusing the department of shielding a biased actor.

The LAPD’s Response: Deflection or Defense?

On June 9, 2025, the LAPD issued a statement claiming the reporter was “inadvertently struck” while standing too close to “violent protesters” who had thrown bottles and concrete, posing an “imminent threat.” The department insisted the officer followed protocol, using rubber bullets as a nonlethal crowd-control measure, and was not targeting the press. LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell emphasized an ongoing investigation but maintained that the chaotic environment—marked by 56 arrests, including for assault and Molotov cocktail use—justified the response. The statement urged media to respect operational boundaries, a point critics saw as victim-blaming.

This defense has been widely criticized as inadequate. The video evidence, showing the officer aiming directly at the reporter from close range, contradicts the “inadvertent” claim, as noted by X users like @getmemurray. Australian officials, including Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, called the incident “shocking,” demanding U.S. accountability, while Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade stressed that “journalists should be able to do their work safely.” California Governor Gavin Newsom, locked in a feud with Trump over the National Guard deployment, labeled the LAPD’s response “evasive,” arguing it reflected a failure to de-escalate amid federal overreach.

The LAPD’s refusal to clarify whether the officer was LAPD, National Guard, or Department of Homeland Security—multiple agencies were present—has further muddied accountability. The department’s silence on the officer’s alleged political views, despite public demands, has led to accusations of a cover-up, especially given the LAPD’s history of controversial protest responses, such as during the 2020 George Floyd unrest, where journalists were injured by nonlethal rounds.

Public and Political Backlash: A Growing Divide

The revelation of the officer’s alleged political views has amplified an already volatile backlash. On X, posts like @NeuroMatrixGame questioned how an officer with such biases could be trusted in high-stakes situations, while Reporters Without Borders condemned the incident as part of a U.S. pattern of press aggression during protests. The video’s global reach—over 98,000 views in one X post—has drawn parallels to 2020, prompting renewed calls to ban rubber bullets, which can cause severe injuries like fractures or blindness, despite being nonlethal.

Politically, the incident has deepened rifts. Newsom’s lawsuit against Trump’s National Guard deployment, filed for violating state sovereignty, cites the reporter’s injury as evidence of federal escalation. Trump’s team, via press secretary Karoline Leavitt, defended the deployment as necessary to curb “insurrectionist mobs,” sidestepping the press issue. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese faces pressure to raise the incident at a potential G7 meeting with Trump, with Hanson-Young urging him to demand that U.S. authorities “stop shooting our journalists.” The Australian Consulate-General in Los Angeles is providing consular support, signaling diplomatic friction