Wisconsin DOJ to probe police shooting of Black man
The Wisconsin Department of Justice is investigating the police shooting of 29-year-old Jacob Blake, an African-American man who appeared to be unarmed and was shot multiple times in the back by police on Sunday, sparking a night of unrest and drawing condemnation from the governor.
A video circulating on social media showed Blake walking toward the driver's side of a gray SUV followed by two officers with their guns drawn at his back.
Seven gunshot sounds can be heard as Blake, who appears to be unarmed, opens the car door.
The family’s lawyer, who has represented the family of George Floyd, said Blake’s sons were just a few feet away.
The shooting occurred around 5 p.m. on Sunday. It was unknown whether the officers saw something inside the vehicle to justify deadly force.
It was also not clear whether one or both officers fired their weapons. Demonstrators took to the streets of Kenosha and the city declared a curfew.
In a tweet, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers, a Democrat, wrote “We stand against excessive use of force and immediate escalation when engaging with Black Wisconsinites.”
Blake was taken to a hospital in serious condition . Blake's father told NBC News on Monday that his son was out of surgery and in stable condition.
Clyde McLemore, a local civil rights activist, linked Blake’s shooting to a long history of racist violence.
"We’re tired of it. Rodney King. We’re tired of it. And right now, this is the wrong generation that this is happening to. The frustration is boiling to the top and we’re sick and tired.”
The shooting of Blake occurred three months after the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man in Minneapolis police custody, sparked nationwide protests against police brutality and structural racism in the United States.
