An unarmed Black man was shot several times in the back at point-blank range after a confrontation with Wisconsin police during a traffic stop as his children watched in horror.
According to KMOV in Wisconsin, the man, identified as Jacob Blake, a father of three sons, was shot from behind by police in Kenosha, a 45-minute drive south of Milwaukee near the Illinois border, on Sunday night, Aug. 23, 2020.
An unidentified bystander filmed the violent episode from inside his or her home from across the street and posted it on Facebook. The video shows what appears to be two Kenosha police officers with their guns drawn following Blake as he walks from the passenger side of his vehicle and attempts to get in on the driver’s side.
When Blake opened the door to the driver’s side, according to KMOV, one of the officers appeared to grab him by the back of the shirt while pointing a gun at his back. It was then that seven loud gunshots were heard, according to the recorded video. Blake immediately went limp and fell forward onto the steering wheel as the car horn blared loudly.
Blake is currently fighting for his life at a local hospital and is listed in critical condition. Protesters took to the streets after the shooting, and two of the officers on the scene have been placed on leave pending an internal investigation into what transpired.
According to CNN, the Kenosha police officers were dispatched to the scene to address a domestic disturbance of some sort but the nature of the disagreement has yet to be revealed. There also is no video footage to determine what precipitated the confrontation between Blake and the cops before he was shot.
Despite not knowing all of the circumstances leading to the shooting, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers offered condolences to Blake’s family and admonished police for their chronic failure to de-escalate confrontations between police and Black men.
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.
— Governor Tony Evers (@GovEvers) August 24, 2020
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.
— Governor Tony Evers (@GovEvers) August 24, 2020
And we stand against excessive use of force and immediate escalation when engaging with Black Wisconsinites.
— Governor Tony Evers (@GovEvers) August 24, 2020
I have said all along that although we must offer our empathy, equally important is our action. 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.
— Governor Tony Evers (@GovEvers) August 24, 2020
CNN and other news outlets are awaiting more information, which remains fluid at press time.
Flip the page to watch the Facebook posting of the shooting from a bystander, along with words of outrage from famed attorney Benjamin Crump, who on Monday, Aug. 24, announced he will be representing Blake’s family. (Warning: The video is graphic.)
