What We Know About The Police Shooting Of Jacob Blake In Kenosha, Wisconsin

WAMU 88.5 | By Arfie Ghedi

Published August 25, 2020 at 4:00 PM CDT

Demonstrators march through the city during a protest in New York against the shooting of Jacob Blake who shot in the back multiple times by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Sunday, prompting community protests.

Last Sunday morning, Jacob Blake was getting ready to celebrate his son’s eighth birthday. By that evening, his life had changed forever.

Blake’s father confirmed that his son was left paralyzed from the waist down after police officers in Kenosha, Wisconsin shot Blake in the back several times. Cell phone video of the shooting shows the 29-year-old walking to an SUV in which several of his children were seated before officers opened fire. Witnesses claim he broke up a fight.

Protesters disobeyed police orders Monday night to demonstrate for police accountability in response to the shooting of Blake, who is Black. The police in Kenosha responded with tear gas.

And on Tuesday night, two people were killed and one was injured. The police fired tear gas and launched rubber bullets into the crowds of protesters.

Some late-night scenes from #Kenosha. Protesters were pushed out of the courthouse area by police. https://t.co/CIV8EQLY4u @WPR pic.twitter.com/VAL203KkvW

— Angela Major (@angela_major_) August 26, 2020

How is Jacob Blake recovering? What’s going on in Kenosha?