Warning: Story contains graphic content.
Riots erupted in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Sunday evening after it appears Kenosha Police officers shot Jacob Blake, a black man, in the back seven times after he did not follow police orders and continued to get into his car. After the shooting, officers provided medical aid and Blake was then transferred to the hospital.
Police were called to the area for a domestic incident and witnesses said Blake was trying to break up a fight between two women. Witnesses also said police used a taser, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The incident was caught on video and quickly went viral on social media.
This just happend in Kenosha, WI. ??#BlackLivesMatter. pic.twitter.com/QLW7Vxtdzm
— chrizi (@nolimitchrizi) August 23, 2020
It did not take long for protests to start, with people gathering at the scene and in the downtown area. As the night continued, protesters turned into rioters and got into fights with the police. Videos posted on Twitter showed rioters targeting a courthouse and setting fires.
Video also showed rioters hitting a squad car with projectiles and hitting an officer on the head with a brick, according to people in the video, knocking him unconscious. A Molotov cocktail was also thrown.
Longer clip of the incident in Kenosha, WI involving molotov cocktails and other assaults on police officers. pic.twitter.com/Bmue3koh00
— Kitty Shackleford (@KittyLists) August 24, 2020
8/23/20 Kenosha, WI | Protesters have broken into a government building and smashing windows. Credit: Yfn boogie https://t.co/AktK04kmfF pic.twitter.com/YXYDWJ06OW
— Liz Jones (@LizJone26271417) August 24, 2020
8/23/20 Kenosha, WI | More garbage trucks on fire. Credit: Mercado Media pic.twitter.com/qcYyDiuhs5
— Liz Jones (@LizJone26271417) August 24, 2020
The violent mob is still throwing objects at the officers. Reports that it was a brick thrown at an officer in the first clip. Kenosha, WI pic.twitter.com/v3U1Wrqvs1
— Kitty Shackleford (@KittyLists) August 24, 2020
#BREAKING: Large crowd has formed outside the scene of an officer-involved shooting in #Kenosha. @KenoshaPolice say they a man is seriously hurt. People are now breaking the windows of cop cars. Warning - expletives @tmj4 pic.twitter.com/pKqbSKrZQY
— Lauren Linder (@lauren_linder) August 24, 2020
In a statement posted to Twitter, Gov. Tony Evers (D) said, "While we do not have all of the details yet, what we know for certain is that he is not the first Black man or person to have been shot or injured or mercilessly killed at the hands of individuals in law enforcement in our state or our country. We stand with all those who have and continue to demand justice, equity, and accountability for Black lives in our country."
Tonight, Jacob Blake was shot in the back multiple times, in broad daylight, in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Kathy and I join his family, friends, and neighbors in hoping earnestly that he will not succumb to his injuries.
— Governor Tony Evers (@GovEvers) August 24, 2020
We stand with all those who have and continue to demand justice, equity, and accountability for Black lives in our country—lives like those of George Floyd, of Breonna Taylor, Tony Robinson, Dontre Hamilton, Ernest Lacy, and Sylville Smith.
— Governor Tony Evers (@GovEvers) August 24, 2020
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.
— Governor Tony Evers (@GovEvers) August 24, 2020
A close friend to Blake said he is currently still alive but is fighting for his life.
For people asking how I know Jacob, we grew up together. We are friends. We went to school together from Kindergarten through high school.
— Daniel Poneman (@DanielPoneman) August 24, 2020
His family asked me to deliver the message that he is still alive and he can make it through this, and that reports of his death are false.
The Kenosha Police Department tweeted the city is under curfew until 7:00 A.M.
??CITY WIDE CURFEW UNTIL 7AM??
— Kenosha Police Dept. (@KenoshaPolice) August 24, 2020