FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) – LaToya Ratlieff remembers the blood spilling from her head, covering her clothes, the car ride from a stranger to the hospital and the 20 stitches sewn into her head after being shot in the face by a police officer with a rubber bullet during a Fort Lauderdale protest.
The 34-year-old was getting ready to leave on May 31 after several hours at a peaceful protest sparked by the death of George Floyd. As she made her way through the parking garage, something shifted in the air. Further away, she could hear a group of angry protesters becoming more agitated. In the middle of the garage, a small group of peaceful protesters knelt down and she joined them.
Moments later, without warning, she said Fort Lauderdale police officers released tear gas and she ran to a corner, disoriented and overcome by smoke. She remembers the pressure of the rubber bullet hitting her face and strangers rushing to help. She did not know the people who drove her to the hospital and removed their shirt to apply pressure to suppress the blood gushing from her head.
Ratlieff sat down with The Associated Press for an interview Friday, nearly two weeks after a photo of her injured face went viral. Twenty-four hours after the incident, the haunting selfie documented her purple right eye swollen shut, her left eye puffy and half open and a thick bandage wrapped around her forehead. She is seeing specialists to assess whether there’s long-term damage from the cranial fracture.
On Friday, Ratlieff’s right eye was open but filled with blood. Small bruises remain. She’s not angry, but said she wants answers from the police department.