Police in Kenosha, Wisconsin fire upon Jacob Blake (Video screenshot)
Police officers in Kenosha, Wisconsin, dispatched to a "domestic disturbance" on Sunday, shot and injured a black man, and rioters reacted by burning businesses, smashing windows and throwing bleach bombs and bricks.
It is just the latest city to be turned into a zone of destruction after conflicts over police and their practices. It got started with the death months ago of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police, and has hit hundreds of American cities since.
Just the News reported that one police officer was hit with a brick thrown by rioters.
The shooting that prompted the violence happened Sunday afternoon, and left Jacob Blake hospitalized.
The report said officers apparently fired seven shots after Blake walked in front of a parked SUV, opened the driver's door and leaned inside. (WARNING: Video of shooting below is graphic):
This just happend in Kenosha, WI.
#BlackLivesMatter. pic.twitter.com/QLW7Vxtdzm
— chrizi (@nolimitchrizi) August 23, 2020
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evans condemned the officers' actions, which remained under investigation.
"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," the governor said. "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."
Officers responded to the rioting with tear gas, and, the report said, the crowds eventually turned toward the Kenosha County Public Safety Building, where rioters clashed with police holding batons and plastic shields.
Blake was hospitalized in serious condition in Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee.
The Washington Examiner reported that officers shot the man "in front of his children."
The Examiner reported that Benjamin Crump, a lawyer who has worked with several families who have had loved ones injured by police officers in recent months, confirmed he'd already been called by the family.
The rioters set vehicles on fire and smashed windows, as city officials announced a citywide curfew.
The post Riots erupt in Kenosha, Wisconsin after police open fire on black man appeared first on WND.
