Jacob Blake, an unarmed 29-year-old Black father, is in serious condition after he was shot seven times by Kenosha police.
Per a press release from the Kenosha Police Department issued on Sunday, authorities arrived at the 2800 block of 40th Street to respond to a “domestic incident” at around 5:11 p.m. that evening.
According to a graphic video posted to the Twitter account of @davenewworld_2, numerous cops can be seen following an unarmed Black man from the passenger side of a car toward the driver’s door, which he started to enter.
One of the cops is then seen grabbing and pulling the man’s T-shirt from behind with one hand while holding a gun in the other. The officer is then seen firing seven shots at the man, later identified as Jacob Blake.
The release says that officers immediately provided aid to the wounded man before he was transported to Froedtert Hospital in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin.
On Sunday night, attorney Ben Crump — known for representing the family of George Floyd — said Blake was “apparently breaking up a fight between two women.”
Crump also said that Blake’s three sons — ages 3, 5, and 8 — were in the car, and witnessed their father get shot multiple times in the back.
Confirmed: Jacob Blake’s 3 SONS were IN THE CAR he was getting into when @KenoshaPolice shot him tonight. They saw a cop shoot their father. They will be traumatized forever. We cannot let officers violate their duty to PROTECT us. Our kids deserve better!! #JusticeForJacobBlake
— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) August 24, 2020
A man identified as Blake’s friend told local news that Jacob had just left a birthday celebration for one of his sons prior to the shooting.
This man is friend’s with #JacobBlake and he said Blake had just left his house before the shooting, he also tells me it was Blake’s sons birthday, and his son was in the car with him.
— Chernéy Amhara (@CherneyAmharaTV) August 24, 2020
The child, watched as his dad was shot by police... on his birthday. #kenoshawisconsin pic.twitter.com/C7xj1EHyK4
Per WTMJ-TV, the incident sparked protests Sunday night, which began at the scene of the shooting and then moved to outside the police station. The outlet reported that demonstrators started fires in dumpsters and at a nearby car lot.
Early Monday, WTMJ-TV reporter Lauren Linder said Blake’s brother told her that Jacob underwent surgery and was transferred to the ICU.
#UPDATE: Jacob Blake’s brother tells me Jacob is still fighting for his life. He says he just got out of surgery and is in the ICU.
— Lauren Linder (@lauren_linder) August 24, 2020
He also says while they don’t excuse @KenoshaPolice’s actions, Jacob’s mom urges protesters remain peaceful in #Kenosha. @tmj4 #Wisconsin pic.twitter.com/1pKODnOI2b
In a statement posted to Twitter on Monday, Crump announced that he is now representing Blake and his family, and that they will “seek justice” and “demand answers from the Kenosha Police Department.”
The statement also claims Blake was “trying to deescalate a domestic incident” and walked away from the cops in order to “check on his children.”
The family of Jacob Blake has retained @BenCrumpLaw. We will seek #JusticeForJacobBlake and his family. We demand answers from @KenoshaPolice. pic.twitter.com/hpOr2tmdif
— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) August 24, 2020
The Wisconsin Department of Justice’s Division of Criminal Investigation said in a statement Monday that they are leading an investigation into the shooting, and that all involved officers are fully cooperating.
The statement also said that the involved officers have been placed on administrative leave.
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