The lawyer for the family of the black man who was shot in the back by police in Wisconsin said Tuesday that Jacob Blake was paralyzed from the gunshot wounds and will most likely never walk again.
Kenosha police shot 29-year-old Blake several times as he got into his car, where his children were. The incident was caught on video and has sparked new demonstrations and outrage within months of national protests against racism and police brutality.
The father, who is also named Jacob Blake, is driving from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Kenosha to meet his son, who is in serious condition at the hospital from the injuries he sustained Sunday.
Jacob Blake, the 29-year-old man who was shot multiple times in the back by police in Wisconsin. Jacob Blake's Facebook
"I want to put my hand on my son's cheek and kiss him on the forehead, and then I'll be fine. I'll kiss him with my mask. The first thing I want to do is touch my son," the father said in an interview with the Chicago newspaper. Sun Times.
Jacob Blake had spoken with his son on the morning of the incident. Hours later, the man learned that he had been shot several times and saw the now viral video. "What justified all those shots? What justified doing that in front of my grandchildren? What are we doing?" Blake lamented.
The 29-year-old was in surgery, said attorney Ben Crump Crump, who explained that the bullets severed Blake's spinal cord and shattered his vertebrae. "It will take a miracle for Jacob Blake Jr. to walk again ," Crump said.
One day after the shooting, buildings, cars and other buildings on fire, alleged use of tear gas by the police, deployment of the National Guard, curfew and, above all, a lot, a lot of anger and indignation is the atmosphere that you breathe in the place where the altercation of the agents with Blake took place.
Gov. Tony Evers, who called on protesters to protest peacefully, declared a state of emergency in Wisconsin on Tuesday, which will allow the National Guard to protect infrastructure and emergency services personnel amid the unrest.
"We cannot forget why these demonstrations started, and what we have seen unfold over the course of the last two nights is the pain, anguish and exhaustion that it means to be black in our state and country," Evers said. "We cannot allow the cycle of racism and systemic injustice to continue. But neither can we allow ourselves to continue down this path of destruction and damage."
Three months after George Floyd's murder in police custody in Minneapolis, the new episode involving a black man now in dire condition and officers sparked protests and anger in several cities. These are images that refresh the recent memory of many Americans, but this time, the epicenter of the wave of outrage is Kenosha. Some 370 miles separate the two cities.
[A black man is shot multiple times in the back by police in broad daylight in Kenosha, Wisconsin]
The triggering case was known between Sunday and Monday, in particular due to a video recorded by a person who attended the scene in question. In it, a Kenosha police officer is seen following Blake, a 29-year-old black man, as he walks towards the driver's side door of an SUV and then shoots the latter in the back several times .
Police confirmed that there was a shooting involving officers on Sunday afternoon, but immediately provided few more details. Blake underwent surgery and is currently in serious but stable condition, according to his family and reports from NBC News, Telemundo's sister network.
After a first night of protests in support of Blake in Kenosha on Sunday, Monday was also marked by demonstrations. These began substantially peacefully during the day, before escalating into the night in various acts of vandalism and public disorder, The Associated Press (AP) and local media report.
Wisconsin Protests Against Police Abuse After Police Officer Shot Black Man In The Back
Aug. 25, 202001: 54Images posted to social media Monday night showed hundreds of protesters outside the Kenosha County Courthouse. " Justice for Jacob, " they could be heard chanting. More than a dozen police officers were stationed at the entrance.
On Sunday, local authorities had imposed a curfew from 8 pm to 7 am local time, which remained in effect on Monday. After the measure's entry into force, hundreds of people were left on the street, according to AP. Half an hour later, the police began using what appeared to be tear gas, adds this news agency.
Local station WTMJ-TV, an affiliate of NBC News, reported that several buildings were on fire. Several vehicles also caught fire, according to an NBC team dispatched to the scene. In the city, the presence of National Guard agents, deployed by decision of the Governor of Wisconsin, Democrat Tony Evers, was registered after there had already been riots the night before.
On the same day, protesters condemned what happened in the case involving Jacob Blake in other parts of the country as well. Hundreds of people rallied in support of him in Times Square in New York City .
In San Diego County, about 50 people protested outside the police headquarters. There was also a rally in downtown Los Angeles on Monday night. In Portland, Oregon, and Madison, Wisconsin, there were some riots, reports The New York Times.
[Lessons from the George Floyd case]
What happened before the moment captured on video is unclear. An attorney for Blake's family, Benjamin Crump, said the man intervened to defuse "a domestic dispute" and that police first used a stun gun on him and then when he approached his car to check on his three children, who were inside, an agent shot him point-blank.
The version offered that day by the Kenosha Police Department is that the shooting occurred after officers responded to a "domestic incident." The agents were suspended while the authorities investigate the events. They have not provided further details so far. It remains unclear whether Blake was carrying a weapon when officers intervened.
New video of George Floyd's arrest revealed: "Please don't shoot me, I just lost my mother"
Aug. 4, 202002: 24The governor of Wisconsin, Democrat Tony Evers, condemned what happened.
Justin Blake, Jacob Blake's uncle, called for peace on Monday night and urged people to contact their elected representatives and work for change.
"We want these young people to vent and speak up, that's what America is all about," Justin Blake told WTMJ. "We just want them to do it safely. But we want justice."
[Crashes, police charges and tear gas: new protests in Portland amid the controversy over the deployment of federal agents]
"It's not just about Jacob Blake," his uncle added. "It is about all the children who leave their house in the morning, whose mothers and fathers have to be concerned about it because of the color of their skin."
With information from NBC News, AP, WTMJ-TV, The New York Times.