Detroit police officer charged for shooting journalists with rubber pellets

WASHINGTON - A Detroit police officer was charged on Monday with multiple counts of felony assault for shooting three photojournalists with rubber bullets during a protest in downtown Detroit in May, according to local media.

Daniel Debono, a 32-year-old corporal, was charged with three felonies for the "unprovoked" shooting, which carries a maximum penalty of four years, the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office said.

The shooting occurred on May 31 after a protest against the death of George Floyd while in police custody just days earlier, said prosecutor Kym Worthy in a statement.

"The evidence shows that these three journalists were leaving the protest area and that there was almost no one else on the street where they were," said the prosecutor.

"There are simply no explicable reasons why the alleged actions of this officer were taken," she said, adding that "They were a threat to no one."

Debono has been suspended with pay while police investigate the incident, Detroit Police Chief James Craig said Monday, according to the Detroit Free Press.