Updated: Monday 24, 2020; 3:04 pm: Two Wisconsin police officers were put on leave after shooting Jacob Blake, a Black man, several times in the back as he walked away from them.
Video was taken of the shooting, which has left Blake, a 29-year-old father, in serious condition. Raysean White filmed the clip that he described as the “middle and end of the incident.”
“The police want everybody to know they’re out here to protect and serve, but you guys are constantly giving us — Black people, in particular — reasons not to let you guys protect and serve,” White told CNN. “We don’t want you guys around because we are scared for our lives. You come to an incident to disarm an argument, and this Black man gets shot. It wasn’t supposed to go down that.”
Meanwhile, the Kenosha Professional Police Association, the union representing the officers, encouraged the audience to await the completion of an investigation and “all the facts are known and released.”
“As always, the video currently circulating does not capture all the intricacies of a highly dynamic incident. We ask that you withhold from passing judgment until all the facts are known and released,” said Pete Deates, president of the Kenosha Professional Police Association.
Earlier:
Jacob Blake, 29, is currently fighting for his life after he was shot multiple times by a Kenosha police officer on Sunday afternoon.
Graphic bystander video captured the fatal moments that reportedly occurred when Blake tried to break up a fight between two women, the New York Daily News reports.
The video shows Blake walking away from officers as they yell at him. At least two officers follow him with their guns drawn. The officers continue to follow as Blake opens the car door and tries to get in. That’s when one officer grabs Blake by his shirt. Shortly after, at least seven gunshots go off.
The young father was taken to the hospital in serious condition, and the shooting rapidly sparked protests in the community, as yet another instance of police brutality.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers released a statement, expressing his concerns.
“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,” Evers said in his statement.
Attorney Benjamin Crump who is working with Blake’s family said that his three young sons were in the vehicle at the time of the shooting.
According to the Kenosha News, the shooting will now be investigated by the Wisconsin Department of Justice.