No reasonable explanation' for Homeland Security officer shooting California protester in the face, blinding an eye, expert says

"A Department of Homeland Security officer's decision to shoot a protester directly in the face with a less than lethal projectile from point blank range blinding the demonstrator's left eye goes directly against how law enforcement should be trained to use such weaponry, a veteran police expert said on Wednesday. Video of the protester who family members have identified as 21-year-old Kaden Rummler being shot in the face by a federal"

"Based on the video which also captures the lead-up and aftermath to the shooting the federal officer who shot Rummler appeared to have been using a FN 303 less lethal launcher, an air powered weapon similar to a pepper ball launcher that instead shoots plastic projectiles, said Spencer Fomby, a retired police captain who serves as section chair for the National Tactical Officers Association Public Order Section after a decades-long career in the Berkeley Police Department and the Boise Police Department."

"There is really no reasonable explanation for that person being shot in the face, Fomby said of Rummler's shooting after watching the video footage. This Monday, Jan. 12, 2026 selfie, provided by Kaden Rummler, shows an eye injury he sustained after being hit with a projectile fired by a federal agent during a protest outside an immigration building in Santa Ana, Calif. on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026."

Department of Homeland Security personnel shot a protester directly in the face with a less-than-lethal projectile at point-blank range, blinding the demonstrator's left eye. The injured man has been identified by family as 21-year-old Kaden Rummler. The incident occurred outside the federal building in Santa Ana during a Friday night confrontation and the video circulated widely on social media. Retired police captain Spencer Fomby identified the weapon in the footage as an FN 303 less-lethal launcher and called a face shot unreasonable and contrary to training. Photographs and a selfie show Rummler's eye injury and subsequent portrait images document the recovery period.

Read at www.ocregister.com