NEW COP SHOOTINH FURY
‘Scene out of hell’ after a black Wis. dad is hit in back
A white police officer shot an unarmed black man in the back at least six times on a Wisconsin street Sunday, sparking a night of violent unrest that left parts of the city of Kenosha in flames.
A video of the incident shows Jacob Blake, 29, trying to get into his SUV — where his terrified children are sitting — as a group of officers follow him with their guns drawn at about 5 p.m.
When Blake opens the door to the vehicle, an officer is seen tugging on his tank-top shirt before firing off multiple shots.
Bystanders scream as the shots ring out, with one woman jumping up and down and yelling nearby.
“It’s a miracle he’s still alive,” said Blake family lawyer Ben Crump, who added that Blake’s “three sons witnessed their father collapse after being riddled with bullets.”
The wounded man was airlifted to
Froedtert Hospital, where he was listed in serious condition and was fighting for his life after surgery Monday, his family said.
The Kenosha Police Department said in a statement that cops were responding to a domestic incident at around 5:10 p.m. when they were “involved in an officer-involved shooting.”
At least half a dozen witnesses told the Kenosha News that Blake had been trying to break up a fight between two women when police arrived at the scene and later Tased him.
Word of the shooting spread quickly and an angry crowd gathered at the scene. Some climbed atop squad cars and broke the windows, according to reports.
The officers involved were later placed on leave — but that didn’t stop outraged residents from marching to
the local police station in protest.
Several demonstrators are seen on video posted to social media banging on a station-house window and chanting, “F--k the police!”
Armed anti-cop protesters confronted an armored police SWAT vehicle, with police responding by throwing tear gas at the crowd.
Other images show protesters hurling bricks and what appear to be Molotov cocktails — with one officer falling to the ground after getting struck by an object hurled by protestors.
Demonstrators also set dump trucks and garbage trucks on fire, blocking some intersections.
By Monday morning, dozens of burned-out cars littered the city and a library had been ransacked in what one reporter said was “like a scene out of hell.”
Officials declared a curfew starting at 8 p.m. Monday night and the state’s National Guard was sent into Kenosha to prevent another night of unrest.
Blake’s shooting prompted angry rebukes from outside the Kenosha city line as well, including from NBA superstar LeBron James.
“Exactly another black man being targeted,” the LA Laker posted on Twitter. “This s- -t is so wrong and so sad!! Feel so sorry for him, his family and OUR PEOPLE!! We want JUSTICE.”
Joe Biden also chimed in, issuing a statement demanding a probe.
“This calls for an immediate, full and transparent investigation and the officers must be held accountable,” the former vice president and Democratic presidential hopeful said.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers later issued a statement in support of Blake.
“Jacob Blake was shot in the back multiple times, in broad daylight, in Kenosha, Wisconsin,” Evers tweeted. “Kathy and I join his family, friends, and neighbors in hoping earnestly that he will not succumb to his injuries.”