Hundreds of protesters gathered at multiple locations in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Sunday night after a Black man was shot by police officers.
The man, later identified by Gov. Tony Evers (D) as Jacob Blake, is in serious condition at a Milwaukee hospital, the Kenosha Police Department said.
Witnesses told the Kenosha News that Blake was trying to break up a verbal altercation between two women when officers arrived at the scene and attempted to use a taser against him. Cellphone video captured by a witness shows two officers with their guns drawn following Blake as he walked to an SUV. Once he opens the driver's side door, shots are fired. Witnesses can be heard screaming throughout the video, which is about 20 seconds long.
The Kenosha Police Department said officers were called to the scene for a domestic incident, and the Wisconsin Department of Justice will investigate the shooting. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump tweeted that the shooting took place in front of Blake's three sons, who were inside the SUV.
As word of the incident spread, demonstrators arrived at the scene of the shooting and the Kenosha County Public Safety Building, where the crowd yelled, "No justice, no peace!" Witnesses shot video showing riot police spraying tear gas at the protesters, The Washington Post reports, and soon after Kenosha County declared an emergency curfew, in effect until 7 a.m. Monday.
In a statement, Evers said that "while we do not have all of the details yet, what we know for certain is that [Blake] 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." Catherine Garcia