Protests have erupted in Kenosha, Wisconsin, following the point-blank range shooting of an unarmed Black man.
Shortly after the shooting, neighbors and onlookers began confronting law enforcement officers as protesters began assembling in the streets. From there, they began marching toward the Kenosha County Public Safety Building, according to ABC-7.
At nightfall, the protests intensified with reports of some people setting several dump trucks on fire, smashing cars, and breaking windows.
Trucks set on fire in Kenosha riots. pic.twitter.com/TFhB0AkIRA
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) August 24, 2020
Reports also indicated that “bleach bombs” were also hurled at law enforcement officers.
#BREAKING: Someone just threw some type of incendiary weapon that set multiple fires at scene @KenoshaPolice officer-involved shooting. Law enforcement have just shown up in riot gear & a military vehicle. #Kenosha @tmj4 pic.twitter.com/bFNnEA8RSo
— Lauren Linder (@lauren_linder) August 24, 2020
The protests came just hours after Blake’s shooting. On Sunday evening, Jacob Blake was shot in the back several times at point-blank range by officers with the Kenosha Police Department. Officers were dispatched to address a domestic incident.
In the now-viral video which captures the moments leading up to the shooting, three Kenosha police officers could be seen yelling at Blake as he walked around the front of an SUV toward the driver side door.
As he attempted to open the door of the vehicle, one of the officers grabbed the back of his shirt and fired into the SUV. Seven shots rang out in the video but it is still unclear if more than one officer fired the shots.
Blake was transported to a local hospital where he remains in serious condition.
In wake of the intensifying unrest as a result of Blake’s shooting, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D) released a statement condemning the shooting as he noted how similar the narrative is compared to other officer-involved shootings that have taken place.
“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,” he said.