Derrick Sanderlin and his wife Cayla may not be able to conceive after he was shot by police. Photo / Supplied
Derrick Sanderlin and his wife Cayla may not be able to conceive after he was shot by police. Photo / Supplied
A US community activist and police trainer, who had worked as a liaison between police and community to help police recognise their bias, has been left with serious injuries after police shot him with a rubber bullet.
Derrick Sanderlin, from San Jose, was attending a protest last week where activists shut down a major highway in the Californian city.
When a driver with a "Blue Lives Matter" licence plate frame was targeted, Sanderlin stepped in to protect the driver and calm the situation.
He then headed to San Jose City Hall where police were engaged in shooting rubber bullets at protesters, ABC7 News reported.
Seeing young women being shot at close range, Sanderlin intervened and placed himself in front of the guns.
"I really just couldn't watch it anymore," Sanderlin told ABC7. "And just kind of made like a parallel walkover, put my hands up, and just stood in the line of the fire and asked them to please not do this."
Video shows the officers lining Sanderlin up before several shots were fired, with one hitting him in the groin.
"I pause for a moment like maybe this isn't, maybe this doesn't hurt and falling afterwards is like the most painful experience," he said.
Sanderlin and his wife Cayla have been married for four years and were planning their family but after emergency surgery for a rupture, the couple don't know if they will be able to have children.
"The doctor had let me know before the operation that there's no way of fully telling until you try to have kids," Sanderlin told ABC7.
Derrick Sanderlin and his wife Cayla may not be able to conceive after he was shot by police. Photo / Supplied
"And I just started weeping at the thought of that. You know, we, we do want kids and we're very close to having kids," Cayla Sanderlin said.
The Sanderlin's lawyer is preparing a claim against the police and the city.
"They were aiming for a body part that is prohibited when using those type of riot guns. You're not meant to aim at the groin or the head ever," said attorney Sarah Marinho.
'TRYING TO DO THE RIGHT THING'
For the past three years, Derrick Sanderlin has worked with San Jose police to help train new recruits about procedural justice and implicit bias.
"The way that they've treated people out there has over the weekend been really heartbreaking because the chief is like a good person, who's really trying to do the right thing," Sanderlin said.
San Jose Police Chief Eddie Garcia has apologised to Sanderlin and issued a statement on the matter.
"Derrick has been a real leader in our communities' efforts to reduce bias and discrimination through dialogue," he said.
