Breathe

Jacob Blake police shooting: 3 shot on 3rd night of riot

Jacob Blake shooting

In the midst of continued US racial unrest Jacob Blake, a black American was shot as his young sons sat in the car. In the third night of riots, three people have been shot in the city of Kenosha and 2 people killed says the Kenosha police.

The newspaper accounted that incident occurred during a confrontation between protesters and a group of armed men.

Footage shared online showed people running through the streets of Kenosha as gunshots could be heard. Other footage showed wounded men lying on the ground.

The governor of Wisconsin is sending more National Guard troops to the city.

How it all unfolded

Shortly after Mr Blake was shot, hundreds of people marched on Kenosha’s police headquarters. Cars were later set alight, and police urged 24-hour businesses to consider closing because of “numerous” calls about armed robberies and shots being fired.

On Monday, Governor Evers called up the National Guard to aid local police and imposed a night-time curfew on Kenosha. Police backed up by the National Guard used tear gas, rubber bullets and smoke bombs, protesters said.

On Tuesday hundreds of protesters marched through the city. A small group threw fireworks and water bottles at police, who responded with rubber bullets and tear gas.

Protests have also spread to a number of other cities, including Portland, Oregon and Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Update on Jacob Blake

His lawyer Ben Crump told a press conference on Tuesday that doctors said Mr Blake had been paralysed by the shooting.

“His family believe in miracles, but the medical diagnosis right now is that he is paralysed and, because those bullets severed his spinal cord and shattered some of his vertebrae, it is going to take a miracle for Jacob Blake Jr to ever walk again,” he said.

The shooting left holes in his stomach, an arm injury and damage to his kidney and liver. Most of his colon and small intestine had to be removed, his lawyers told reporters.

His mother Julia Jackson told the press conference her son had been “fighting for his life”, but said if he “knew what was going on as far as that goes, the violence and the destruction, he would be very unpleased”.

Jacob Blake shooting

Kenosha to protect state buildings and support first responders and firefighters. A state of emergency has also been declared in Wisconsin, as protesters clashed with police for a third night.

In her speech, Ms Jackson addressed racism directly and called for “healing”.

“Do you understand what is going to happen when we fall – because a house that is against each other cannot stand.”

Accounts of the shooting?

Police say they were responding to a domestic incident when they went to the site of Sunday’s shooting but have given few other details.

Videos that have been seen show Blake opening the door and leaning into the car, at which point one officer grabs his shirt and opens fire. Seven shots can be heard in the video, as witnesses shout and scream.

Mr Blake’s fiancée Laquisha Booker, said the children – who witnessed everything as they sat in the back of the car – were screaming as their father was shot.

Lawyers for Mr Blake said he had been trying to “de-escalate a domestic incident”. Witnesses said the same to local media.

Court records show there was an open arrest warrant against Mr Blake on sexual assault and domestic abuse charges but police have not said if officers were aware of this when they responded to the call on Sunday.

Wisconsin’s Department of Justice is investigating the incident in Kenosha, while the officers involved have been placed on administrative leave. A petition calling for them to be charged has garnered tens of thousands of signatures.

Related posts

George Floyd: Escalating Protests in Minneapolis Over His Death

satofsat

Patrice Lumumba: Belgium returns his tooth to family 61 years after his murder

satofsat

Germany: Aminata Touré becomes 1st Black member of state government

satofsat

Leave a Comment

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Accept Read More