Overview
- Protests began on June 6 in Los Angeles against ICE immigration raids, escalating into clashes with police and National Guard troops deployed at President Trump’s order
- On June 9, Nine News correspondent Lauren Tomasi—clearly identified as media—was hit in the leg by a rubber bullet, suffered minor injuries and has returned to reporting
- Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the footage as horrific, spoke directly with Tomasi and raised the incident with US authorities
- The Los Angeles Police Department has opened a formal investigation into the shooting, with Chief Jim McDonnell expressing concern over press safety in crowd-control operations
- The Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance and Australian lawmakers have condemned the incident and urged stronger protections for frontline journalists