Protestors have taken to the streets in Wisconsin after a Black man was shot in the back at close range seven times by a police officer — in front of his children.
The man has been identified as Jacob Blake. He has been transported to the hospital in serious but stable condition. Daniel Poneman, a close family friend, tweeted that Blake is now out of surgery in the ICU and is “expected to make it.”
A video of the shooting has been circulating online. The video shows Blake walking around an SUV as police shout at him while pointing their guns. Blake then opens the driver-side door of the vehicle before an officer, who had been following behind him closely, grabs the back of his shirt and appears to fire several shots into the man’s back.
“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,” Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers said.
A state of emergency has been declared and an overnight curfew was enforced.