Kenosha protests: Police name officer who shot Jacob Blake as photo emerges of teenager accused of murdering Wisconsin protester attending Trump rally
Former Vice President Joe Biden said he has spoken with the family of Jacob Blake, a black man who was shot by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin in a confrontation caught on video that has since sparked major protests, adding: "I told them justice must and will be done."
A 17-year-old Illinois resident was arrested and charged with shooting and killing two people and injuring one other in Kenosha, Wisconsin amid protests sparked by Mr Blake's shooting, with video footage showing a white gunman carrying a semi-automatic rifle and opening fire in the middle of the street.
The protests turned violent on Tuesday evening as people gathered in honour of Mr Blake, who was shot by police seven times on Sunday. Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth later condemned armed "vigilantes" attempting to deputise for police officers in response to the protests, as local officials called for "additional guns" to be taken off the streets.
It was later reported that the shooting suspect was spotted attending a rally held in January by Donald Trump, who meanwhile announced on Wednesday that he would be sending the National Guard to Wisconsin after Governor Tony Evers requested federal assistance.
The White House confirmed on Wednesday it had helped Wisconsin in the deployment of almost 1,000 National Guard troops following the protests.
Speaking truth to power, Jacob Blake’s mother Julia Jackson is calling on everyone to UNITE as human beings. 🙌🏿 TOGETHER we can create the CHANGE that's needed in this world! pic.twitter.com/RHykhrmsep
— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump)
"We are calling for justice for Jacob Blake and demand the officers be held accountable."
Sterling Brown and George Hill read a prepared statement from Milwaukee Bucks players after they decided to boycott playoff game to protest shooting of Jacob Blake. https://t.co/2E185MYRWR pic.twitter.com/GUYY6qJR9f— ABC News (@ABC)
If you're an African American, tonight the despair is so hard to hold off.
Seeing people stick up for this kid shooting people... it makes me scared for my sons.
Too many kids are getting killed.
Too many are hurting.
There's something wrong in this country. #JacobBlake #BLM pic.twitter.com/w7oWFd92Nj— Van Jones (@VanJones68)
"President Trump condemns violence in all forms and believes we must protect all Americans from chaos and lawlessness," White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany said in a statement after the Justice Department said separately that it had deployed more than 200 law-enforcement agents to the city.
Mr Trump has been pushing Democratic governors to request National Guard and federal law enforcement support to deal with unrest that has followed the killing of a black man in Minneapolis police custody in May.
In the Wisconsin case, the state's attorney general said investigators recovered a knife from the driver's side floorboard of Mr Blake's car.
"We have assisted Wisconsin in the deployment of almost 1,000 National Guard and over 200 federal law enforcement personnel, which include FBI and U.S. Marshals," Ms McEnany said.
Justice Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec earlier wrote on Twitter that the law enforcement agents deployed to Wisconsin included agents and marshals from the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the U.S. Marshals Service.
The deployment, she said, aimed to "assist state and local law enforcement in the response to rioting and unrest and will continue to surge Kenosha with federal resources as needed and necessary."
Additional reporting by agencies. Check out The Independent's live updates and coverage below:
