What began as a domestic call in Kenosha Sunday afternoon escalated into a police shooting of an Black man, followed by overnight fires and looting.
Governor Tony Evers and Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes are scheduled to address the shooting of 29-year-old Jacob Blake.
Graphic cellphone video circulating online showed police, with guns drawn, following the man later identified as Blake, as he walked towards a car. An officer grabbed the man’s shirt as he leaned into the driver’s side door of the vehicle. Then he was shot multiple times.
Witnesses at the scene said Blake had been trying to break up a fight. He was airlifted to Froedert Hospital in Milwaukee.
Overnight, numerous businesses, including a dealership lot full of vehicles, were set in fire. A police officer was reportedly struck in the head with a rock.
Evers issued a statement SUnday night:
“Tonight, Jacob Blake was shot in the back multiple times, in broad daylight, in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Kathy and I join his family, friends, and neighbors in hoping earnestly that he will not succumb to his injuries. 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.
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. And we stand against excessive use of force and immediate escalation when engaging with Black Wisconsinites.”
The State Department of Justice will investigate the shooting. The officer involved has not been identified. He and a second officer who was at the scene with his gun drawn have been placed on administrative leave.