Injured protester’s condition upgraded to satisfactory

SEATTLE — New details were revealed Friday night about the protester hospitalized after a forceful arrest by Seattle police.  It turns out this is not the first time he has been injured during a protest.  He was injured in July during a protest outside the Youth Jail.

According to an affidavit, his attorneys filed as part of a claim against the city of Seattle.

He is at Harborview Medical Center after what appears to have been a violent arrest by Seattle police.

Seattle police body camera video shows the takedown of 30-year-old Kel Murphy-DuFord on Wednesday night.  Officers said he was caught vandalizing the East Precinct with graffiti.

“Relax,” said one officer.

“Stop fighting us,” ordered a second officer.

But as officers wrestled with him, Murphy-DuFord seemed to be unconscious.

“Roll over,” said an officer.

And for two long minutes, he did not respond.

“You have any injuries?” asked an officer.

“You’re getting medics,” said another.

“Could be faking it,” opined a third.

They called for medics.

It turns out Murphy-DuFord claims he was injured in two separate protests on July 25.  His attorney provided photographs of deep bruises he said Murphy-DuFord suffered near the East Precinct.

According to the affidavit, a group of protest vehicles separated him from the crowd, and he got hit with a “barrage of explosive munitions.”

Earlier that same July day, where rioters set fire to structures at the site of the King County Juvenile detention center, his lawyer said, Seattle Police Department set off flash-bangs near Murphy-DuFord, damaging his hearing.

And in both cases, they insist, police gave no warning.

Last Wednesday night, SPD blamed Murphy-DuFord’s condition on a substance they said he ingested before the arrest.  Once at Harborview, he had to be intubated.

In an angry email, his lawyer shot back, saying he is diabetic and takes insulin.

No one knows how long Murphy-DuFord will be at Harborview.

When pressed about what substance they believe Murphy-DuFord ingested, SPD officials stated they can’t say for “legal reasons.”

Cox Media Group