Authorities issued a bailout in Kenosha, Wisconsin, when angry crowds gathered in protest after a Black man was shot and seriously injured by police Sunday night.
The shooting happened just after 5pm local time when Kenosha Police Department officials responded to a reported domestic incident on 40th Street near the intersection with 28th Avenue. The officers provided “immediate” medical assistance to the individual who was shot. The person was then flown about 45 miles to Froedtert Hospital in Wauwatosa, just west of Milwaukee. The individual is in serious condition, according to a press release from the Kenosha Police Department.
Police identified the injured individual has not yet elaborated on what led to the shooting.
Mobile video allegedly taken by a bystander has been circulating on social media since the incident and has been viewed thousands of times. The video appears to show three officers with their weapons drawn following a Black man as he walks from the back of a car to the driver’s side. When the man enters the side of the driver of the car, one officer, who is hanging from the man’s shirt, opens fire. Shouting and various gunshots can be heard in the video.
The Wisconsin Department of Justice’s Criminal Investigation Department (DCI), which is investigating the shooting, said all officers involved in the incident have been placed on administrative leave.
“All law enforcement agencies involved are fully cooperating with DCI during this investigation,” the agency said in a press release. “DCI will continue to review with evidence and determine the facts of this incident and will forward investigative reports to a prosecutor after a full and thorough investigation.”
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers has identified the injured individual as Jacob Blake.
“Last night, Jacob Blake was shot several times in the back, in broad daylight, in Kenosha, Wisconsin,” Evers wrote in a Facebook post late Sunday. “Although we do not yet have all the details, what we do know for sure is that he is not the first Black man or person who has been shot or wounded or mercilessly murdered at the hands of law enforcement individuals in our state like us. land. “
Milwaukee ABC affiliate WISN spoke to Blake’s fiancée, Laquisha Booker, who said two of her children were sitting in the back of the car when he was shot by police. They claimed that the officers also threatened to shoot them.
Booker told WISN that they never called police and were not sure why they were there. She said her fiancé was unarmed and had no guns or weapons.
“It makes no sense to treat someone like that,” Booker told WISN.
A large crowd of protesters gathered after the shooting at the scene, prompting local authorities to deploy the venue throughout the site, which will remain in operation until 7 a.m. Monday morning. Officers were seen using tear gas on protesters gathering outside the Kenosha Police Department.
Police said they had received overnight “numerous” calls about armed robberies and shootings in the city.
ABC News’ Matt Foster and Will Gretsky contributed to this report.
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