01/13/2026
01.13.2026 | 11:33 AM | SANTA ANA — Family Says Santa Ana Protester Was Blinded, Suffered Skull Fractures After Being Shot By DHS Agent With Nonlethal Round.
A 21-year-old protester was left permanently blind and narrowly escaped death after a Department of Homeland Security agent fired a so-called nonlethal round at close range during a protest outside the Santa Ana federal building last week, according to the victim’s family.
Jeri Rees said her nephew underwent six hours of emergency surgery after being struck in the face. Doctors discovered fragments of plastic, glass and metal embedded in his eyes and face, including a metal shard lodged just 7 millimeters from his carotid artery.
“That could have cost him his life,” Rees said. “Now, for the next six weeks, he can’t sneeze or cough because it could do a lot of damage.”
Doctors opted not to remove the shrapnel near the artery, Rees said, out of fear it could be fatal. Her nephew, who is transitioning and uses he/him pronouns, also suffered fractures to his skull around the eyes and nose and has permanently lost vision in his left eye. Rees said the agent who fired the round was only a few feet away.
Videos of the Friday night incident circulated widely on social media. One video shows demonstrators protesting the fatal shooting of Minnesota mother Renee Good throwing orange safety cones toward agents guarding the federal building. The footage then shows three agents advancing toward the group, with one attempting to detain a young person later identified by friends as Skye Jones.
As several demonstrators attempted to intervene, at least one agent appears to fire nonlethal rounds into the crowd, striking one woman in the leg before aiming and shooting Rees’ nephew in the face. The victim collapses, clutching his face as blood pours from his left eye. The same agent is then seen dragging him by the hood of his jacket as he struggles to breathe.
Another video shows the injured protester lying on the floor inside the building while agents fire what appear to be pepper balls at the back of the head and neck of a man attempting to record the scene on his cellphone.
Rees said her nephew told her agents pressed his face into a pool of blood and delayed calling paramedics.
“The other officers were mocking him, saying, ‘You’re going to lose your eye,’” she said.
The clash occurred two days after a federal immigration agent fatally shot Good, sparking nationwide protests and criticism of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Noem has said the agent involved in Good’s killing acted in self-defense.
Friday’s confrontation adds to a growing number of incidents nationwide in which federal agents have been accused of using excessive or deadly force.
“This constitutes deadly force as far as the law is concerned,” said Ed Obayashi, a Modoc County sheriff’s deputy and legal adviser who has testified in similar cases. He said law enforcement training manuals and court rulings prohibit aiming less-lethal projectiles at a person’s face because of the risk of serious injury or death.
Obayashi said deadly force is only justified when officers face an imminent threat of death or great bodily harm. “I just don’t see that here,” he said.
Hundreds of people gathered in downtown Santa Ana that night to protest Good’s killing, the Trump administration’s immigration policies and alleged police brutality. Protesters marched through downtown chanting “ICE out of O.C.” and carrying signs reading “No more raids, keep families together.”
An earlier demonstration began at 3 p.m. and was organized by the social justice group Dare to Struggle, according to member Connor Atwood. A separate protest outside the federal building began around 6:30 p.m., organized by another group, he said.
As the crowd thinned later in the evening, tensions escalated. Videos show protesters standing near a staircase away from the building’s entrance. Atwood said DHS agents repeatedly exited the building and fired nonlethal rounds toward demonstrators, even though protesters had not attempted to breach the entrance.
Some organizers encouraged demonstrators to remain in place to show they would not be intimidated, Atwood said. Later, some protesters burned an American flag.
After 8:30 p.m., Jones — a leader of Dare to Struggle’s Orange County chapter — was arrested, Atwood said. Shortly afterward, another protester, identified only by the initial K, was struck in the eye.
“It wasn’t completely out of nowhere, but it was very sudden,” Atwood said. “Agents had come out several times before, but they hadn’t tried to arrest anyone.”
In a statement to The Times, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin described the demonstrators as a “mob of 60 rioters” who allegedly threw rocks, bottles and fireworks at officers. She said two officers were injured and two people were arrested on charges of assault on federal officers and disorderly conduct.
McLaughlin did not respond to questions about protocols governing the use of less-lethal weapons.
A spokesperson for the Santa Ana Police Department said the only violence officers were aware of involved protesters throwing orange safety cones. Atwood said he did not witness rocks or bottles being thrown, though some firecrackers were set off near the sidewalk and away from the building.
Both DHS agents and Santa Ana police remained outside the federal building past 10:30 p.m. Paramedics were later seen transporting Rees’ nephew on a gurney.
Atwood said Jones appeared at an initial court hearing Monday. Rees said Jones had been released and was at the hospital with her nephew as of Monday night.
A news conference is scheduled for 10 a.m. Tuesday outside Santa Ana City Hall, where organizers plan to share additional details. Supporters have also launched a GoFundMe campaign to help cover the injured protester’s medical expenses.
📸: Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images
