Video of Black Man Shot in Back by Cops Spurs New Outrage

Police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wis., is under investigation by state DOJ
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 24, 2020 6:45 AM CDT
Updated Aug 24, 2020 6:58 AM CDT
Video of Black Man Shot in Back by Cops Spurs New Outrage
In this image made from video, protesters gather near the site of a police shooting on Sunday, Aug. 23 in Kenosha, Wis.   (WDJT-TV via AP)

A disturbing video out of Kenosha, Wis., shows a police shooting of a Black man that has renewed calls for police accountability. Per a statement from the city's police cited by USA Today, officers responded to a "domestic incident" around 5pm. The graphic footage circulating on social media shows the man, identified as Jacob Blake, walking away from an officer who had his gun drawn, two other cops nearby. Blake then tries to enter his car, the officer pulling on Blake's shirt from behind; seven gunshots are then heard. Benjamin Crump, an attorney representing George Floyd's family, tweeted Blake tried to enter his car "after apparently breaking up a fight between two women." Crump added Blake's three sons were in the car. Witnesses tell the Kenosha News cops had tried to use a Taser on Blake before the shooting. Blake was airlifted to a hospital, where he's said to be serious condition.

An investigation by the state's DOJ into Blake's shooting is underway, and the officers involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative leave, per a statement from the DOJ. While Gov. Tony Evers stressed "we do not have all of the details yet," he decried the "excessive use of force and immediate escalation when engaging with Black Wisconsinites" in a Twitter thread late Sunday, adding: "I have said all along that although we must offer our empathy, equally important is our action. In the coming days, we will demand just that of elected officials in our state who have failed to recognize the racism in our state and our country for far too long." Meanwhile, the AP and Washington Post report demonstrations broke out after Blake's shooting, with protesters clashing with police in riot gear at the Kenosha Public Safety Building. Kenosha County announced a curfew through 7am Monday. (More police shooting stories.)

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