The lawyers of the family of Jacob Blake, who was shot in Wisconsin, say that he will need a ‘’ miracle to walk again’’. He was shot seven times while he was opening the door of his car in the city of Kenosha, and one of the bullets hit his spinal cord, the lawyers stated.
On Tuesday, local media reported that several people had been shot amid continuing arrest following the police shooting incident. Governor Evers has called in the National Guard in a bid to quell the unrest in the state.
Currently, Blake is paralyzed because of the complete or partial severing of his spinal cord. Meanwhile, the doctors are unsure if he will be able to walk again. Ben Crump, the lawyer, said that Blake’s family believes in miracles, but the medical reports suggest the contrary.
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The 29-years-old black man was shot several times when his son was in the car. Crump further added that Blake was also left with holes in his stomach, significant damage to his kidney and liver, and his small intestine and colon had also been removed.
While talking to the press conference, the mother of Blake, Julia Jackson, said that his son is fighting for his life in the hospital but added that he would be very unhappy if he knew about the violence.
Following the mass protests in the city, several cars and buildings have been set alight and damaged. Meanwhile, Governor Tony Evers said that he would send more National Guard troops to the city Kenosha to protect the state buildings and assist the local law enforcement agencies.
As the protesters clashed with the police on the third night of the protests, an emergency was also imposed in the city. However, many protesters defied the restrictions and took to the streets. The recent police brutality incident comes as the US grapples with the treatment of African Americans at the hands of the national law enforcement agencies.
Since the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody, many other wider questions about systematic racism have also been raised. During the press conference, Blake’s mother directly addressed racism and called for healing.
Meanwhile, the local police authorities had maintained that they responded to a domestic incident when they reached the Sunday’s shooting site. However, they have concealed some of the information as many things are unclear yet, like who called the police, what happened at the scene, and how many police officers were present at the scene.
But the footage shows that Blake was leaning into his car when a police officer grabbed his shirt and opened fire, at least seven bullets can be heard in the video. Laquisha Booker, the fiancé of Jacob Blake, said that the children were screaming when they saw their father being shot by the police as they sat in the car.
Meanwhile, Wisconsin’s Justice Department said it was also investigating the incident. The officers involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative leave by the department.
Separately, the protests have spread to many other cities across the country, including Minneapolis, Minnesota, Oregon, and Portland. On Tuesday, a group of demonstrators threw water bottles, and the police responded by firing tear gas and rubber bullets. There were also reports of armed civilians on the streets vowing to protect private properties from the looters.
