Police Kenosha Wisconsin shoot Jacob Blake | Police Kenosha Shooting Black Man | Jacob Blake
On August 23, 2020, Jacob S. Blake, a 29-year-old American black man, was shot from behind seven times by a police officer in Kenosha, Wisconsin, United States. Police were attempting to arrest Blake during a domestic dispute, during which Blake was tased and scuffled briefly with officers. He was shot as he tried to enter his SUV, where his children were in the backseat.
The shooting was followed by protests, rioting, property damage, fires in downtown Kenosha, and further clashes with riot police. Commentators drew links between the Blake shooting, the reaction, and the larger Black Lives Matter movement, which had seen a resurgence in the wake of high-profile police killings in 2020, including those of George Floyd, Rayshard Brooks, and Breonna Taylor.
Police responded to a 911 call in which the dispatcher "reported that a complainant said Blake wasn't supposed to be there, and that he had taken the complainant's keys and refused to give them back". According to witness Raysean White, Blake had pulled his car up near "six or seven women shouting at each other on the sidewalk" and "Blake did not say anything to the women". Blake's attorney, Benjamin Crump, said Blake "was attempting to de-escalate a fight between two other people when officers arrived at the scene", and that Blake tried to enter his vehicle to check on his three sons inside.
The shooting was followed by protests, rioting, property damage, fires in downtown Kenosha, and further clashes with riot police. Commentators drew links between the Blake shooting, the reaction, and the larger Black Lives Matter movement, which had seen a resurgence in the wake of high-profile police killings in 2020, including those of George Floyd, Rayshard Brooks, and Breonna Taylor.
Police responded to a 911 call in which the dispatcher "reported that a complainant said Blake wasn't supposed to be there, and that he had taken the complainant's keys and refused to give them back". According to witness Raysean White, Blake had pulled his car up near "six or seven women shouting at each other on the sidewalk" and "Blake did not say anything to the women". Blake's attorney, Benjamin Crump, said Blake "was attempting to de-escalate a fight between two other people when officers arrived at the scene", and that Blake tried to enter his vehicle to check on his three sons inside.
Officers attempted to subdue Blake, and a taser was deployed. A bystander who recorded a video of the incident heard police yelling "drop the knife", and also said, "I didn't see any weapons in his hands, he wasn't being violent". Other reports said Blake was unarmed. After an initial scuffle, Blake got away and walked to the driver side of his vehicle followed by two officers with guns drawn. The closest officer tried to grab Blake, and when Blake opened the door and leaned in, that officer grabbed him and fired at least seven shots towards Blake's back. Benjamin Crump said Blake was hit by four of the seven bullets.
Blake was flown to Froedtert Hospital. His father announced on August 25 that Blake was paralyzed from the waist down and that doctors do not know if the injury will be permanent.
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