A unarmed black man identitied as Jacob Blake shot in the back seven times by a white police officer in front of his children in Kenosha, Wisconsin, United States.
In a video circulating the social media, two cops with weapons drawn were seen trailing the black man on Sunday night as he walks to a gray van and opens the driver’s side door to get inside.
One of the police officers then grabs him by the back of his shirt and shoot him multiple times at close range. At least seven shots could be heard, though it was unclear if more than one officer fired.
Local reports indicate that Blake’s children were inside the SUV and watched as their father was gunned down. A fusillade can be heard, followed by a car horn, and bystanders screaming.
Several witnesses said the incident happened after cops were called to the scene due to a domestic dispute and Blake was only trying to break up a fight between two women outside a nearby home, according to Kenosha News.
https://twitter.com/AttorneyCrump/status/1297721479711334401?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1297721479711334401%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fnypost.com%2F2020%2F08%2F23%2Fcops-shoot-black-wisconsin-man-as-he-gets-into-car%2F
Rioting and protests erupted in the wake of the shooting as the County of Kenosha declared a state of emergency and a curfew has been put into effect by authorities until 7am on Monday.
The Kenosha Police Department said in a statement that cops were responding to a domestic incident at around 5:10 p.m. when they were “involved in an officer-involved shooting.”
The gunshot victim — identified as 29-year-old Jacob Blake — was air-lifted to Froedtert Hospital and was listed in serious condition, cops said.
The shooting incident also prompted Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers to issue a statement denouncing ‘excessive use of force’ by police
“Jacob Blake was shot in the back multiple times, in broad daylight, in Kenosha, Wisconsin,” Evers tweeted. “Kathy and I join his family, friends, and neighbors in hoping earnestly that he will not succumb to his injuries.”
Evers also showed support for the Black Lives Matter movement and called for accountability as unrest began to rattle Kenosha.
“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,” he wrote.
“In the coming days, we will demand just that of elected officials in our state who have failed to recognize the racism in our state and our country for far too long.”
The Wisconsin Department of Justice’s Division of Criminal Investigation said it will launch a probe into the incident which has sparked outrage online.
This is Jake Blake. He was tasered and shot SEVEN times at close range by cops in Wisconsin after he broke up a fight between two women. He’s in a serious condition – No cops have been arrested or fired. Pray that he pulls through. #DefundThePolice #BlackLivesMatter #jacobblake pic.twitter.com/7eZWhu1HzG
— ✨ C ✨ (@SlayanaTweets) August 24, 2020
If your response to seeing a Black man shot over and over in the back is to say “he should’ve followed instructions,” you are the problem. "Not complying" with an officer is NOT punishable by death under any circumstances, let alone an extra-judicial execution. #BlackLivesMatter
— Eliza Orlins (@elizaorlins) August 24, 2020
https://twitter.com/aw_mayowa/status/1297782622446407681?s=20
https://twitter.com/sh4llot/status/1297799722111991810?s=20
Massive street fire in Kenosha, Wisc. at the #BlackLivesMatter race riot. Video by @livesmattershow. pic.twitter.com/vg1TL1bXSv
— Andy Ngo 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) August 24, 2020
BLM rioters are breaking into and looting stores one-by-one in #Kenosha, Wisc. Video by @livesmattershow. #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/rI1njNkp4u
— Andy Ngo 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) August 24, 2020
https://twitter.com/jpierni/status/1297782426257817600?s=20
Protests continue in front of the police department in #Kenosha #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/9PELRHuBuK
— Josh Randazza- Pade (@JoshPade) August 24, 2020
This is insane. BLM rioters armed with semi-auto rifles have shut down the street in #Kenosha and ordered a Sheriff’s vehicle to stop. Video by @livesmattershow. #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/cDhmOBG1p9
— Andy Ngo 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) August 24, 2020
It just keeps happening. I will not share the video. No one should have to watch that. But here is a beautiful photo of 29-year-old Jacob Blake, who was shot seven times in the back by police in broad daylight in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
SAY HIS NAME. #JacobBlake #BlackLivesMatter https://t.co/limAr6qBUB
— Eliza Orlins (@elizaorlins) August 24, 2020
Outbreak of anti-police violence in Kenosha, Wisc. after a police-involved shooting of a black male. #BlackLivesMatter https://t.co/Vf5efM5qIR
— Andy Ngo 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) August 24, 2020
Protests in #Kenosha WI at this moment aren't "turning violent." It's intentionally manipulative to use this language. They began with violence. They are a human response to violence. #DefendBlackLife #DefundPolice #BlackLivesMatter https://t.co/ifreVQGjEK
— #StopCopCity #FreePalestine (@radfagg) August 24, 2020
This is coming three months after another black man, George Floyd was shot dead by a white police officer who pinned him to the ground by pressing his knee into Floyd’s neck for over eight minutes as the black man repeatedly said, “I can’t breathe.”
Floyd’s death also set off worldwide protests with a call for an end to police violence against black citizens and for justice to be duly served to the four former Minneapolis officers involved in killing the 46-year-old man.