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Black Man Shot In The Back Seven Times By Wisconsin Police
- Black Man Shot In The Back Seven Times By Wisconsin Police
A black man is in a serious condition after being shot seven times at close range by police in Wisconsin.
The man, identified by the state governor as Jacob Blake, was flown by helicopter to hospital on Sunday evening after being shot repeatedly in the back in the city of Kenosha.
Footage circulating on social media showed the incident with Mr Blake, who does not appear to be carrying a weapon, seen walking towards a car as two officers followed him with their guns drawn.
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As Mr Blake opens the car door, one of the officers can be seen grabbing his vest and shooting him in the back.
Seven shots can be heard followed by the car’s horn continuously beeping.
The officer could be seen holding the man’s vest and shooting at his back
Civil rights lawyer Benjamin Crump, who represents George Floyd’s family, said Mr Blake’s three sons were in the car when he was shot.
The Police knew that Jacob Blake's children were in the hot car. They could have easily tackled him before he opened his car door if they were afraid he had a weapon in there. THERE IS NO EXCUSE! #blacklivesmatter https://t.co/yGezwta3sM
— Write-In Ron DeSantis (@ConvictDTrump) August 24, 2020
Police said they had been called to a domestic incident at 5.11pm but gave no further details as to what led to the shooting that followed.
Witnesses said Mr Blake was trying to break up a fight between two women when the officers arrived.
The officers involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative leave, the Wisconsin Department of Justice said early on Monday.
As the man opened his car one of the officers grabbed his vest
Wisconsin state governor Tony Evers wrote in a tweet: “We stand against excessive use of force and immediate escalation when engaging with black Wisconsinites.”
Wisconsin’s division of criminal investigation is looking into the shooting and said it will seek to “provide a report of the incident to the prosecutor within 30 days”.
A city-wide curfew was imposed until 7am on Monday after large protests marched down the streets throwing Molotov cocktails and bricks at police, with one officer reportedly injured by a brick.
A large rubbish truck parked on the road to prevent demonstrators marching towards the police station could be seen on fire before one of its tyres exploded, while people were seen kicking police cars and smashing their windows.
Kenosha’s protests are the latest in a series of ongoing demonstrations against police brutality and racism since 25 May when George Floyd died after a white police officer knelt on his neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds.
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