Mon 24 August 2020:
2 officers involved in the incident were placed on administrative leave, says Wisconsin Department of Justice
A police shooting in the US state of Wisconsin sent a Black man into serious condition on Sunday, with the video footage of the incident triggering outrage.
The shooting occurred as the police officers were responding to a “domestic incident,” The Kenosha Police Department said in a statement.
Officers in the scene “provided immediate aid to the person,” and he was flown to a Milwaukee area hospital in serious condition, the department said.
The graphic video that emerged on social media shows a Black man being shot multiple times while he is walking toward a car and being followed by an officer who draws a gun.
The officer tugs on his shirt as the man opens the door of the car to get in and shoots him multiple times.
Later on Sunday, Governor Tony Evers identified the Black man as Jacob Blake in a statement.
“Tonight, Jacob Blake was shot in the back multiple times, in broad daylight, in Kenosha, Wisconsin,” Evers 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 – lives like those of George Floyd, of Breonna Taylor, Tony Robinson, Dontre Hamilton, Ernest Lacy, and Sylville Smith. And we stand against excessive use of force and immediate escalation when engaging with Black Wisconsinites,” he added.
After hundreds of people took to the streets to protest the shooting, the police department declared a curfew until 7 a.m. (1200 GMT) Monday.
Early Monday, Wisconsin Department of Justice said an investigation was launched into the shooting and the officers involved in the incident had been placed on administrative leave.
Anadolu Agency
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