(Newswire.net — August 25, 2020) — Protests have begun in Kenosha, a city in Wisconsin, after a black man was shot multiple times by the police, who were allegedly reporting to a ‘domestic incident’.
The man has been identified as Jacob Blake. Videos that have been posted online have shown Mr Blake being shot in the back as he tries to get into a car. Mr Blake was taken to hospital for emergency surgery and is now in intensive care, his family confirms.
The shooting happened on Sunday evening, and one of the witnesses, Ben Crump- an attorney- posted the video online. It soon amassed 700,000 views and sparked the protests.
In the video, an African American man can be seen walking around the front of a grey SUV. Two officers can be seen a couple of steps behind him, one with his weapon facing the back of Mr Blake’s back. As the man enters his car, the nearest officer can be seen grabbing his tank top and seven shots are heard. The man that was entering the car goes limp.
Witnesses also told local news site Kenosha News that Mr Blake had tried to break up a fight between two women and that police had attempted to use a Taser on him prior to the shooting.
Governor Tony Evers has stated: ‘Tonight, Jacob Blake was shot in the back multiple times, in broad daylight. While we do not have all of the details yet, what we know for certain is that he is not the first Black man or person to have been shot or injured or mercilessly killed at the hands of individuals in law enforcement.’
County officials have now instituted a curfew, which will be in place until 7:00am ET Monday.
Hundreds of people began protesting. There have since been reports that multiple vehicles have been set alight and windows have been smashed throughout the city.
Jacob Blake’s father, Jacob Blake Snr, has now stated that his son has been paralyzed from the waist down. Doctors do not yet know if this is permanent.
“What justified all those shots?” his father asked. “What justified doing that in front of my grandsons? What are we doing?”