On June 14, Vincent Hawkins, a local ER nurse, was shot while addressing officers during an Occupy ICE protest in South Portland. Though a large protest earlier in the day had remained peaceful, events escalated later when officers began using projectiles and tear gas against the demonstrators. Hawkins experienced severe injury, nearly losing sight in one eye, and described the chaotic scene leading up to his injury, where he witnessed aggressive tactics by law enforcement aimed at suppressing the protest.
"There’s a reason that there are thousands of people out here!" Hawkins shouted, just moments before he was shot, demonstrating the intense atmosphere at the protest.
"I was watching this hand casually tossing out canisters of some kind of pepper gas or whatever tear gas they were using...just casually, like not enough that you would move a crowd away; it just seemed like enough to taunt."
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