A recently released body camera footage showed law enforcement officers celebrating after shooting at protesters during a demonstration on May 31. The rubber bullets used at the incident gravely injured a Black woman, who was shot in the face.

The Fort Lauderdale police department posted the video on its official YouTube channel on Wednesday. The footage was taken from the body camera of Detective Zachary Baro.

At one point, an officer can be heard in the video saying, "Beat it, little f---er," after shooting the less-lethal projectiles at a protester. Baro, who led the department's SWAT team, was also heard using profanity as his officers fired at demonstrators, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Later, one officer was also captured asking if Baro's camera was off, to which he incorrectly said it was.

Injuries at the Protest

LaToya Ratlieff, a 34-year-old Black woman, suffered a fractured skull and required 20 stitches after she was hit in the face with a rubber bullet. In a report by the Associated Press, Ratlieff said she still has trouble seeing out of one eye following the incident during the peaceful demonstration.

In a witness video, Ratlieff, who was, at the time, wearing a bright pink backpack, was seen bending over and coughing after officers deployed tear gas. As she was walking away, the officers began firing rubber bullets.

As another protester tried to help her away, a second shot rang out. The video showed the victim falling to the concrete with a shrill cry, her hand clutching her head.

A stranger, who was also at the scene, quickly tore off his shirt and applied pressure to the woman's head before rushing her to a nearby hospital.

She has asked for an opportunity to sit down with the city's law enforcement to discuss reform and accountability. However, she has yet to receive a response.

Ratlieff has yet to file a lawsuit. She testified before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. The committee tackled government violence against peaceful civil rights protesters.

A video from the same protest showed a Fort Lauderdale police officer pushing a kneeling woman on the ground. Witnesses say the gathering turned violent following the incident. The officer's colleagues pushed him away from the woman. He was later charged with battery.

Exhaustive Investigation

Fort Lauderdale Police Chief Rick Maglione said it was reviewing over 8,000 minutes of body-camera footage, including those taken from the protest on May 31. The report may be completed in the coming month.

However, in a separate statement, Maglione also defended the officers involved in the video. He claimed the entire video showed the officers were under attack by a group of demonstrators.

"Although the language is extreme and offensive to some, our officers were dealing with the chaos of a developing situation," Maglione said.

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