#Dallas man who lost eye to projectile during protests demands answers

A Dallas man lost his eye to a projectile that struck him during a George Floyd demonstration, according to a report.

Brandon Saenz, who is black, said he was peacefully protesting Saturday afternoon near Dallas City Hall when he encountered cops about 10 to 15 feet away from him, news station WFAA reported.

“And then all the sudden all I heard was a boom and I got hit. And I put my hands up and I put my hand on my eye and I took off running,” the 26-year-old the outlet.

He fell to the ground and other demonstrators rushed to his side to help try to stop the bleeding from his left eye, jaw and cheek, the outlet reported.

Saenz was rushed to the hospital, but his eye was beyond repair and doctors performed surgery to remove what was left of it, the report said. He also lost seven teeth and fractured the left side of his face.

“His left side of his face is shattered,” his father, Andre Ray, told the outlet. “His jaw is twisted. His teeth are knocked out. There’s just so many things that are going on with my son right now that I never thought I would see.”

He was also left with an incision from ear-to-ear after doctors operated on him to remove blood clots and install a temporary drain tube, according to the report.

“Thank God he’s alive,” his father told the outlet. “But nobody’s come forward to say, ‘Hey, look, let’s hold this officer accountable.’ My son is never going to be the way he was. And I want somebody to answer for it.”

The family’s attorneys said they still do not know what type of projectile struck him or who was responsible for his injuries.

Saenz is calling on the police department for answers, and believes it was an officer who struck him.

“I just want my justice, that’s all,” Saenz told the outlet.

The Dallas Police Department said they are investigating the incident and ask anyone with video to turn it over to them.

“We take these matters very seriously,” police said in a statement. “Rest assured, there will be a full investigation and we will continue to keep the public informed on the status of the investigations.”