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Jacob Blake, the black man whose shooting by a white police officer reignited protests across the United States over racism and police brutality, has pleaded not guilty to criminal charges.
The 29-year-old, who was paralyzed from the waist down from the shooting, was propped up on his hospital bed when he appeared via video link for the court hearing.
Mr. Blake was shot multiple times in the back at point-blank range while getting into a car in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on August 23.
The charges were filed prior to the incident, accusing him of burglary, third degree sexual assault and disorderly conduct based on statements from his ex-girlfriend at the time, the mother of three of his children.
She told police that Jacob Blake broke into her home on May 3 and sexually assaulted her before stealing her truck and debit card.
Blake, dressed in a blue shirt and yellow tie, pleaded “not guilty” through his attorney Patrick Cafferty, sitting in a chair next to the hospital bed.
It was his first public appearance since the shooting incident.
Cafferty noted that Blake had been working as a painter and had no criminal record or convictions in any state.
Mr. Blake raised his hand to greet Loren Keating, a Kenosha County Judicial Court Commissioner, when he was addressed and said “Yes sir” when asked if he could hear clearly and if he understood the terms of the your $ 10,000 bond.
“The state recognizes that these are serious charges, but also that the defendant has serious injuries and is recovering in hospital,” said Zeke Wiedenfeld, prosecutor.
The court ordered the trial to begin on November 9 with the selection of the jury. The complaint does not identify Mr. Blake’s ex-girlfriend by name.
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