Black Lives Matter protests in Kenosha after a black man was shot by the police
Photo: Morry Gash / APSeveral shots in the back of a black man during a police operation in the US state of Wisconsin sparked horror and protests. The officials involved were given leave of absence, according to the responsible Ministry of Justice. The investigation is still ongoing. The Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden called for an immediate, full and transparent investigation.
According to consistent reports from US media, two police officers pointed their guns at the man on Sunday and fired at least seven shots at him as he got into his car. There are also video recordings on the Internet. According to official information, the man is in serious condition.
Sons hear the shots
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represents the family, gave the man's name as Jacob Blake. He reported that his client tried to arbitrate a "domestic incident" in Kenosha City. Then the police would have pointed their guns at him.
First, Blake was hit by a stun gun. When he wanted to check on his children in the car, officers fired several shots in his back. The three sons would have witnessed this.
A video Crump posted on Twitter shows Blake walking around a car while two police officers with guns drawn follow him. When he opens the car door and tries to get in, at least one of the police officers shoots him from close range. Seven shots can be heard on the recording and desperate shouts like: "Let him go!"
As a result of the police operation, protests and riots broke out in Kenosha. Photos showed burned-out cars and garbage trucks and damaged buildings. A curfew was imposed for the night from Monday to Tuesday.
In the USA there had been mass protests against racism and police violence in many places since the end of May. The trigger was the death of the unarmed African American George Floyd after a brutal police operation in the city of Minneapolis in the state of Minnesota. The debate also plays a central role in the US election campaign.
Biden said: "The country is waking up once again to sadness and indignation that another black American has been the victim of excessive violence." His runner-up, Senator Kamala Harris, said on Twitter: "Jacob Blake shouldn't be fighting for his life right now."
House Speaker, Democrat Nancy Pelosi, said: "We owe it to Jacob, his children and all black Americans to put an end to racial injustice and police violence."
The Wisconsin State Department of Justice, the chief investigative agency, announced that it would file a report within 30 days.
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