Jacob Blake, an African American man, has survived after being shot in the back multiple times by police at close range in the US city of Kenosha, Wisconsin after reportedly trying to break up a fight between two women. He is now in hospital and his condition is critical. The event has sparked a violent protest.
According to reports, the man was trying to break up a fight between two women. The police officers reportedly attempted to use a Taser on the man before shooting him.
The black population of Kenosha, a small city of just over 100 thousand people on Lake Michigan, accounts for less than 12 percent of the population. Nevertheless, the protest sparked by the police brutality incident involved hundreds of people, who set vehicles on fire and shouted slogans.
Video emerged online showing neighbours gathered outside as two police officers with guns drawn followed Blake as he moved toward the car.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that several hundred people took to the streets of Kenosha on Sunday evening after the video of the shooting was spread on social networks.
Protesters demanded that the police officers be brought to justice. During the spontaneous rally, several police vehicles were damaged, the windows of a local municipal building were broken and one of the guards was injured.
Police used tear gas to disperse the protesters, and a curfew was imposed in the city.
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers said that Blake had been shot in the back several times and wished him a speedy recovery.