Jacob Blake: Police Shooting Sparks Protests in Wisconsin

A black man identified as Jacob Blake was shot several times by police officers in his back as he entered his car, where his three children were seated.

The shooting of the 29 years old black man has triggered several US citizens in different states to protest against police brutality and black lives matters.

According to the Kenosha Police Department, the incident happened after 17:00 on 23 August, where police officers responded to domestic violence. Still, it is unclear who called the police officers to the attention to domestic violence. Although the police officers do not have body cameras, but they do have microphones.

Raysean White, the person who shot the video, told the media that he began filming the incident when he saw police wrestling with Mr. Blake.

He said, “One of them had him in a headlock and was punching him in his ribs, the other had him in a headlock on the other side of him and was pulling his arm,” White told the media.

“After they punched him in his rib, the female officer tased him, and Jacob kind of leaned on the car, and they proceeded to wrestle him toward the back of the car, and he went to the other side of the car. When they were on the other side of the car on the ground, I had to pick up my camera and start recording.”

In the video, Mr. Blake is shown moving around the SUV while the two officers approaching him were white males. One of the police officers grabbed his shirt and shot him as Mr. Blake opened the car’s door and leaned with three children seated in the vehicle.

According to the video, seven-shot were fired, and Mr. White, who recorded the video the media, heard police officers shouting, “Drop the knife!” before the gunfire started, but he didn’t see a knife, Mr. Blake’s hands.

Moreover, Mr. Blake’s lawyer, Ben Crump, said his client was trying to settle domestic violence before the police drew their weapons. He has needed nearly all of his colon, and small intestine removed and suffered damage to his kidney, liver, and arm.

His family also said he had been left paralyzed from the waist down, although doctors do not know if it’s permanent, and they have demanded the arrest of the officer who shot Mr. Blake.

More so, the shooting of Jacob Blake has spurred protest and unrest in the state, which prompted Gov. Tony Evers to declare a state of emergency on Tuesday and deployed Wisconsin National Guard troops to Kenosha.

Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth asked residents to obey the 8 p.m. curfew tonight, following a night of protests over the shooting of Jacob Blake.

“If you want to protest peacefully, by all means, go out and do it. It’s your right,” Beth said in a written statement on Tuesday. “But don’t be a part of this destructive force that’s burning our community.”

“People are frustrated. I get it. And they’re scared. I certainly get that, too,” Beth said. “Don’t be a part of this destructive force that’s burning our community. That’s not a productive path to justice.”
Jacob Blake’s father described the shooting of his son at a news conference on Tuesday.

“They shot my son seven times like he didn’t matter, but my son matters,” Jacob Blake Sr. said.

“He is a human being, and he matters,” he added. “I would like to thank everyone for coming out to support my son with this senseless attempted murder that was committed on him.”