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Reuters

Police across the United States are using a variety of weapons on protesters during demonstrations against the death of an unarmed black man in police custody.
George Floyd died as a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes, and his death has triggered a wave of protests across the country and around the world.
While many of the US events have been peaceful, some have turned violent, with scenes of arson, looting and clashes with police.
Police have used a range of weapons against peaceful protesters as well as members of the press during the demonstrations. Described as non-lethal, these weapons can seriously injure, disable and even kill.


Chemical irritants
Chemical irritants include tear gas and pepper spray, which cause sensations of burning, pain and inflammation of the airways.
Public health and infectious diseases experts have opposed the use of chemical irritants such as tear gas, saying in an online petition that they could increase risk for Covid-19 by “making the respiratory tract more susceptible to infection.”
Because chemical irritants can spread widely, bystanders and individuals other than the intended targets can be exposed to the chemicals.
Tear gas has been widely and frequently used by police to disperse protesters. CS or CN gas are chemical compound powders that spray from canisters. They produce a burning sensation in the eyes and mouth that incapacitates.
To protect themselves from pepper spray and other chemical irritants, protesters are dousing themselves with milk to help diffuse the burning sensations.
Pepper spray and pepper balls
Police have shot protesters with pepper spray both from hand-held devices and projectiles. While pepper spray is chemically distinct from tear gas, it produces similar effects: burning and watering of the eyes and skin.
Police have also fired pepper balls, small projectiles containing chemical irritants. Such projectiles can contain PAVA spray, an irritant similar to pepper spray, as well as CS gas. The balls can be shot from launchers or modified paintball guns.
Ex-US defence chief blasts Trump: the president ‘tries to divide us’
Rubber, plastic bullets
Protesters have been hit by a variety of rubber, plastic, and “sponger” bullets. Reuters journalists in Minneapolis were shot by police with 40mm hard plastic projectiles during a protest in May.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said the city’s police department will minimise the use of rubber projectiles during peaceful protests going forward.
Kinetic impact projectiles include rubber, plastic, wooden, and “sponger” bullets, which are shot from launchers and guns.
A 2017 survey published by the British Medical Journal found that injuries from these caused death in 2.7 per cent of cases.
Wooden bullets
Protesters in Columbus, Ohio reported having been shot with wooden bullets by police forces.
Images online showed wooden dowel-shaped rods sliced into small, bullet-sized projectiles. The Columbus Police Department confirmed they used those devices against protesters on May 30 and said they are known as “knee knockers.”

Sting ball grenades
Protesters have reported police using sting ball grenades, which upon explosion, spray the surrounding area with rubber pellets. In addition to the rubber balls, the grenades can contain chemical agents or explode with bright light and sound.
Disorientation devices
Disorientation devices, commonly known as flash bangs or stun grenades, explode with bright light and sound to stun and disorient demonstrators. They can cause severe burns when fired at close range.
Constructed like a conventional grenade, the bright flash and the loud bang can cause temporary blindness, temporary loss of hearing and loss of balance. Parts of the device can burst and fly as shrapnel.


Meet Senator Tom Cotton, who could be Donald Trump’s VP: he’s decried pro-Palestine protesters, called for military suppression of Black Lives Matter, and flown a flag associated with Capitol riots

Texas governor pardons man convicted of murdering Black Lives Matter protester

Inmate stabbed George Floyd’s killer Derek Chauvin 22 times with improvised knife

Ex-Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, convicted of killing George Floyd, stabbed in jail

George Floyd protests

George Floyd protests: what weapons are US police using to tackle demonstrators?

Police walk through tear gas as they try to disperse protesters in Las Vegas. Photo: AP

Protesters help others who have been affected by tear gas fired by New Orleans police on top of the Crescent City Connection bridge Wednesday, June 3, 2020, in New Orleans during a protest over the death of George Floyd, who died after being restrained by police in Minneapolis. (Chris Granger/The Advocate via AP)

Protesters disperse as tear gas, pepper spray and flash bang devices are deployed by Seattle police during a demonstration over the death of George Floyd. Photo: Reuters

Asian-Americans join in support of protests after George Floyd’s death

A protester holds a sign while facing off with police on Sunday in New York City. Photo: Getty Images via AFP

01 June 2020, Ireland, Dublin: People take part in a Black Lives Matter protest rally outside the US Embassy in Dublin following the death of George Floyd in USA. Photo: Niall Carson/PA Wire/dpa

Ana, an overseas Chinese, protests at Time Square in New York City on June 1, 2020, after the brutal death of George Floyd.

Family autopsy finds George Floyd died of asphyxiation – but second report could bolster Derek Chauvin’s defence

Terrence Floyd reacts at a makeshift memorial honouring his brother George Floyd on Monday at the spot where he was taken into custody in Minneapolis. Photo: Reuters

A woman gestures as she poses for a photograph at a makeshift memorial honouring George Floyd and other minorities killed in recent years at the spot where he was killed, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., June 1, 2020. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

George Floyd death: China is right to criticise the US on race. Next step, more Uygurs on politburo

Members of the Black Panther Party arrive at Kai Tak Airport in Hong Kong on their way to mainland China. Photo: SCMP Pictures

(FILES) In this file screen grab from a video released by BidenForPresident shows former President Barack Obama endorsing Joe Biden's White House bid through a video message on April 14, 2020. - Confined to his home to respect anti-virus measures and facing an accusation of sexual assault, Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden is finding it hard to get his message across in a country laser-focused on the health crisis. The former vice president has won a series of major endorsements -- the latest came from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on April 27, 2020 -- but has had to rely on late-night appearances and virtual town halls to make his voice heard. (Photo by Handout / BidenForPresident / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE

FILE - In this Dec. 3, 2018, file photo, a guard tower and barbed wire fences surround an internment facility in the Kunshan Industrial Park which has previously been revealed by leaked documents to be a forced indoctrination camp in Artux in western China's Xinjiang region. A database obtained by The Associated Press offers the fullest and most personal view yet into how Chinese officials decided who to put into and let out of detention camps, as part of a massive crackdown that has locked away more than a million ethnic minorities, most of them Muslim. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File)

Chairman Mao and W. E. B. Du Bois meet in China, May 1959. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Donald Trump threatens to end George Floyd protests with military

US President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference in the Rose Garden of the White House on Monday. Photo: EPA/Bloomberg

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JUNE 01: People gather at site where George Floyd died May 25 while in police custody, on June 1, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. George's brother Terrence Floyd visited the site today and called for justice and the prosecution of all four officers involved in the incident. Stephen Maturen/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==

Minneapolis Police Department officers detain a group outside of a car during continued demonstrations in reaction to the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., May 31, 2020. Picture taken on May 31, 2020. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

Riot police hold people back as US President Donald Trump visits St. John's Church after the area was cleared of people protesting the death of George Floyd June 1, 2020, in Washington, DC. - US President Donald Trump was due to make a televised address to the nation on Monday after days of anti-racism protests against police brutality that have erupted into violence. The White House announced that the president would make remarks imminently after he has been criticized for not publicly addressing in the crisis in recent days. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP)

US President Donald Trump holds a Bible while visiting St. John's Church across from the White House after the area was cleared of people protesting the death of George Floyd June 1, 2020, in Washington, DC. - US President Donald Trump was due to make a televised address to the nation on Monday after days of anti-racism protests against police brutality that have erupted into violence. The White House announced that the president would make remarks imminently after he has been criticized for not publicly addressing in the crisis in recent days. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP)

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From pepper balls to wooden bullets, officers are using a variety of weapons on protesters during demonstrations against the death of Floyd in police custody
Described as non-lethal, these weapons can seriously injure, disable and even kill



From pepper balls to wooden bullets, officers are using a variety of weapons on protesters during demonstrations against the death of Floyd in police custody.


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Explainer | George Floyd protests: what weapons are US police using to tackle demonstrators?

From pepper balls to wooden bullets, officers are using a variety of weapons on protesters during demonstrations against the death of Floyd in police custody Described as non-lethal, these weapons can seriously injure, disable and even kill

From pepper balls to wooden bullets, officers are using a variety of weapons on protesters during demonstrations against the death of Floyd in police custody

Described as non-lethal, these weapons can seriously injure, disable and even kill