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Marcus Mitchell was blinded in his left eye after being shot at Standing Rock as he stood to defend sacred water. A North Dakota court denied him justice. Photo by Rudy Dcruz |
Diné Shot in the Eye at Standing Rock Denied Justice: A Federal Court will Hear the Case
ST PAUL, Minnesota -- Marcus Mitchell, Dine'/Navajo, was shot in the eye and blinded in his left eye, while peacefully protesting the pipeline at Backwater Bridge in Standing Rock in January of 2017. For more than eight years, justice has been denied Mitchell because of the ruling of a North Dakota court.
Now the case of police officers excessive force is going before the federal Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals in St Paul, Minnesota. Oral arguments will be heard on Dec. 18, 2025.
Sophia Wilansky, whose arm was blown apart when she was struck with an explosive on Backwater Bridge on Nov. 21, 2016, will also have her case heard before the same federal appeals court in December.
Lawsuits Reveal Extreme Cruelty of Law Enforcement
The lawsuits filed against law enforcement for critical injuries at Standing Rock reveal the extreme cruelty of Morton County deputies and Bismarck police. When Marcus Mitchell, Navajo, was shot in the eye, as he lay bleeding on the ground, officers pounced on him, then shackled him in the hospital.
When Sophia Wilansky's arm was blown apart, and she lay bleeding on the ground, officers laughed at her. Federal officers then stole her evidence in the hospital.
A North Dakota judge denied them both justice.
The Gruesome Shooting and Arrest of Marcus Mitchell
In similar cases, millions of dollars have been awarded to protesters who were victims of police excessive force. For those at Standing Rock defending sacred water from the Dakota Access Pipeline, there has been no justice.
The gruesome details of the shooting at Backwater Bridge, and Mitchell's horrific arrest after being shot, now goes before the court.
Mitchell's attorneys at MacArthur Justice Center said, "The Eighth Circuit reversed the district court and held that Marcus Mitchell’s case can proceed. It made clear shooting an unarmed Mr. Mitchell in the face with a lead-filled bean-bag round as he was peacefully praying could be a Fourth Amendment violation."
The Gruesome Shooting and Arrest of Marcus Mitchell
Police officers fired 12-gauge shotguns loaded with lead-filled bean bags at Mitchell and put out his left eye as he stood in defense of the water -- the water of the Missouri River that millions depend on -- at Backwater Bridge at Standing Rock in North Dakota on Jan. 19, 2017. He was 21-years-old.
"Marcus Mitchell lay facedown on the snowy North Dakota prairie, blood pouring through the gaping wound on the left side of his face," reported the Guardian describing the horrific shooting.
"Marcus Mitchell lay facedown on the snowy North Dakota prairie, blood pouring through the gaping wound on the left side of his face," reported the Guardian describing the horrific shooting.
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