Jacob Blake protests: Two dead and a third injured after shootings at BLM rally in Kenosha
Two people are dead and a third is seriously injured after a shooting at a violent protest in the US, as Donald Trump sends in troops.
Two people have been killed and a third person was injured after a shooting late on Tuesday in Kenosha, Wisconsin, police said.
Violence escalated on the third night of protests in the city after African American man Jacob Blake, 29, was shot by police on Sunday.
Mr Blake was shot by a white police officer in the back at close range while his children were nearby, and has been left partially paralysed by the incident.
Before the shooting, protests had raged outside the Kenosha courthouse on Tuesday past an 8pm curfew. The state’s governor declared a state of emergency earlier that day after buildings were torched and cars set alight amid the Black Lives Matter movement that was reignited by the death of George Floyd earlier this year.
After a long standoff with officers and the National Guard, protesters moved towards a petrol station after the curfew, where reports say the group were confronted by armed men.
Police were called after reports of multiple gunshot victims at 63rd and Sheridan Rd about 11.45pm, the Kenosha Police Department said in a statement on Wednesday morning.
“The shooting resulted in two fatalities and a third gunshot victim was transported to a hospital with serious, but non-life threatening injuries.”
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The statement said the victims’ identities are still being determined and the investigation is ongoing.
Police said they were aware of several social media videos being circulated “regarding this incident” and urged witnesses to contact police.
Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth told The New York Times the department is investigating whether the shooting was sparked by a conflict between demonstrators and armed citizens who had been arguing with protesters throughout the night.
Mr Blake was shot multiple times by police after trying to get into his SUV with his children on Sunday. Ben Crump, a civil rights lawyer representing Mr Blake’s family, said the father was shot after trying to intervene in an argument between two women.
Mr Crump said it would be a “miracle” for Mr Blake to regain the ability to walk.
Earlier Blake’s mother Julia Jackson called for calm and urged peace ahead of a national protest planned for Washington this weekend.
She said the damage caused on previous nights in Kenosha “doesn’t reflect my son or my family,” and issued a powerful call for unity and denunciation of racism in America.
“Clearly you can see by now that I have beautiful brown skin. But take a look at your hand. And whatever shade it is, it is beautiful as well,” she said.
The incident is being investigated by the office of Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley and the Wisconsin Justice Department‘s division of criminal investigation. They aim to present a report over the incident within 30 days, according to CNN.
Two officers from Kenosha have been placed on administrative leave over the incident.
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