‘MY OWN UNCLE’

George Floyd Protester: My LAPD Cop Uncle Ordered Colleague to Fire Rubber Bullets at Me

Asim Jamal Shakir Jr. alleges that his LAPD officer uncle ordered one of his colleagues to fire a “less-than-lethal” rifle round at him.

Like several people who took part in the George Floyd protests across the nation last summer, Asim Jamal Shakir Jr. came away with injuries. But his case is unusual—because he says his wounds were caused by his police officer uncle. According to a new lawsuit reported by The Guardian, Shakir was marching in downtown Los Angeles on May 29 last year when he saw his uncle in the line of cops that was pushing protesters back. Shakir alleges that his uncle, Eric Anderson, told him to leave the scene, then ordered one of his colleagues to fire a “less-than-lethal” rifle round at him. Shakir’s livestream from the night shows his bloodied hand after the incident, and he can be heard saying: “My own uncle… told him to shoot me!” Carl Douglas, the civil-rights lawyer who is representing Shakir, is reported to have said the nephew and uncle and now estranged, commenting: “LAPD has not only injured this young man, but torn this family apart.” Neither the LAPD nor Anderson have officially commented on Shakir’s lawsuit.