KENOSHA, WI (Wisconsin Radio Network-WSAU) – What began as a domestic call in Kenosha Sunday afternoon escalated into a police shooting of an African-American man. Graphic cellphone video circulating online showed police, with guns drawn, following a man as he walked towards a car. An officer grabbed the man’s shirt as he leaned into the driver’s side door of the vehicle. Then he was shot multiple times.
Police in Milwaukee have confirmed to the media that the video is authentic.
Witnesses identified the shooting vitcim as 29-year-old Jacob Blake. Those at the scene say he had been trying to break up a fight.
He was airlifted to Froedert Hospital in Milwaukee and is in serious condition.
A crowd of demonstrators gathered outside the scene of the shooting on 48th Street in Kenoska. There are reports that fires were set in the street, and one police officer may have been hit with a brick that was thrown from the crowd. A curfew was put in place until 7am Monday.
Governor Tony Evers issued a statement that said: “Tonight, Jacob Blake was shot in the back multiple times, in broad daylight, in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Kathy and I join his family, friends, and neighbors in hoping earnestly that he will not succumb to his injuries. 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 in our state or our country.
We stand with all those who have and continue to demand justice, equity, and accountability for Black lives in our country-lives like those of George Floyd, of Breonna Taylor, Tony Robinson, Dontre Hamilton, Ernest Lacy, and Sylville Smith. And we stand against excessive use of force and immediate escalation when engaging with Black Wisconsinites.”
The State Department of Justice will investigate the shooting. The officer involved has not been identified.
