BBC's Jeremy Bowen was shot and wounded in Egypt Friday during a bloody conflict deemed "Friday of Rage" where demonstrators gathered in the street to show their support for Egypt's recently ousted Islamist president Mohammed Morsi. The angry crowd, including tens of thousands of demonstrators marched through central Cairo near Tahrir Square. BBC's Jeremy Bowen, a long time journalist for the news source, was wounded during the ensuing conflict on Friday as demonstrators were raging mad, hot on the heels of a violent outburst which occurred outside a military barracks a where Mohammed Morsi was said to be held.
At approximately 10:30 AM EST BBC's Bowen was seen tweeting about his injuries, just moments after independent journalist in Cairo, Sharif Kouddous, reported that the long-time BBC reporter, Jeremy Bowen, had been shot and wounded.
"BBC reporter @BowenBBC hit in the head with birdshot. He's ok."
BBC reporter @BowenBBC hit in the head with birdshot. He's ok. pic.twitter.com/2ihAmOvpDL
— Sharif Kouddous (@sharifkouddous) July 5, 2013
Though pictures emerged of a wounded Bowen, his head wrapped in gauze and some blood on his face, the BBC reporter let Twitter followers know,
"Thanks for the messages. I've been hit by a couple of shotgun pellets. Am fine and heading out"
BBC's Jeremy Bowen was hit by shotgun pellets in Cairo. Rubber bullets and tear gas were main forms of ammunition used during the "Friday of Rage" protest. 53-year old veteran BBC reporter Bowen has never been wounded to date, though he has reported on multiple conflicts around the globe.
As The Mirror reports, Bowden had this to say about being wounded in Egypt on Friday:
"I was crossing the road when they opened fire ... I think it was a shotgun. I got two pellets in the leg and one in the ear. It came out of nothing."
Bowen goes on to describe the mood of the crowd at the demonstration by Egypt's former democratic leader Mohammad Morsi.
"As the crowd got angrier and angrier it started to surge forward and someone opened fire straight away from the military side. Before they had used any kind of teargas they resorted to live fire. Initially I thought it was in the air and then I saw the weapons were leveled. After that I saw a man went down. I saw the body, bloodied, being carried away. We'd been hanging around filming, they fired some gas and the crowd scattered, and just as I was reaching the curb and I felt something hit the side of my head by my ear and my leg. I've been in a lot of hairy situations as a reporter over many years but I have never been hit by anything."
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