Toby Canham

Shot in the Forehead by a CHP Officer

Location: Near the 101 Freeway, Los Angeles
Date: June 9, 2025
Injuring Agency: California Highway Patrol (CHP)
Weapon: Rubber bullet
Status of Officer: Unnamed. Unaccountable. Shielded.
CHP Response: No official comment; reportedly investigating.
Medical Status: Hospitalized with forehead trauma and whiplash.

Let’s make one thing brutally clear: Toby Canham is not some kid with a vlog and a death wish. He’s a 59-year-old British Army veteran and seasoned photojournalist. He’s covered red carpets and conflict zones. On June 9, he was in Los Angeles under the 101 Freeway, on assignment for the New York Post, documenting an immigration protest.

Then it happened.

A flash-bang grenade exploded near his position, tearing through his pants. Seconds later, a California Highway Patrol officer—positioned roughly 100 yards away—fired a rubber bullet that struck Canham directly in the forehead.

He was isolated. He was filming. He was not yelling, charging, or interfering.

“When I got whacked, to my best recollection, it was just me filming with my cameras on—and then I got shot.”

The footage is devastating. It captures the moment Canham is struck—his camera shakes, he cries out in pain, and blood becomes visible on his forehead as he stumbles backward.

“FAAK! FAAK! I just got shot in the head!,” he yells, stumbling backward.

He was hospitalized with a large forehead contusion, neck trauma, and whiplash. It remains unclear whether police on site called for medical assistance. Available reports do not confirm the presence—or absence—of an ambulance.

“Where I was hit, I was the only person overlooking the freeway. I wasn't surrounded, so I was an easy target.”

It has now been days. The CHP has confirmed an investigation is underway. But the name of the officer who fired the shot? Still withheld. No suspension announced. No disciplinary action disclosed. Just silence—shielded by armor, bureaucracy, and the usual rot.

So here’s what we do know:

Toby Canham stood alone. A uniformed officer raised a weapon and shot him in the forehead while he was filming.

And if that doesn’t raise questions about criminal use of force and the targeting of journalists in America, then what exactly are we supposed to accept?

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