COVINGTON, Ky. — A little over 24 hours after clashing with Covington Police on the Roebling Bridge, Brandon Hill walked out of Good Samaritan Hospital with bruises and scratches covering his head, his arm in a sling and pepper ball welts dotting his shins.
He said the brief but chaotic scene was something he didn't expect following the peaceful vigil for a Cincinnati Children's Hospital chaplain detained by ICE.
At the vigil's conclusion, a group of roughly 100 people marched across the Roebling Bridge, blocking traffic and prompting around 50 officers to meet them halfway across the bridge.
"It's all very traumatic, and I'm still trying to recover from this, honestly," Hill said.
WATCH: We talk one-on-one with Brandon Hill after his release from the hospital
Covington Police Chief Brian Valenti said at a press conference Friday that Hill had tried to disarm an officer carrying a pepper ball gun, but Hill said he was trying not to get shot.
"If anything like that happened, it's because a random gun was pointed in my face," Hill said.
Hill said he didn't know what a pepper ball gun looked like and wanted to get away from it.
Chief Valenti said the officer then thought Hill was drawing a gun from a bag he had around his shoulders, chased him to the rail of the bridge, and then tried to pull him from the railing without going over into the Ohio River.
"The last officer we lost in the line of duty was because he fell off of a bridge while fighting," Valenti said.
Hill said he was not armed, and what happened leading up to him being punched multiple times in the head was a blur. He said he wasn't trying to hurt any officers.
"I did not try to attack anyone. We were there peacefully, exercising our First Amendment rights," Hill said.
Valenti said no protesters were found to have weapons.
Hill went to Good Samaritan Hospital briefly after his release from jail in Covington on a list of charges related to the march over the Roebling Bridge.
He said his arm was potentially fractured, but swelling prevented accurate scans and he would need additional testing.
WATCH: Body cam video shows a Covington officer repeatedly strike Hill throughout the arrest
Hill called for additional training for Covington Police Officers.
When asked whether he would pursue legal action against the department, he said it was too early to make that decision.
"It seems like some folks used excessive force," Hill said.
The officer who arrested Hill was placed on administrative duty with pay while an investigation into his conduct continues.
