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MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Jacob Blake is no longer chained to his hospital bed, having been after a police shooting in southeastern Wisconsin that left him paralyzed, his lawyers said Friday.
Kenosha Police Officer Rusten Sheskey shot Blake, a black man, seven times in the back Sunday while responding to a domestic abuse call. Protesters have filled the streets of Kenosha every night since the shooting at a rally against racism and police brutality.
Blake’s father told the Chicago Sun-Times on Thursday that he was upset to learn that his son was handcuffed to his hospital bed in Milwaukee because he is paralyzed and cannot go anywhere.
Blake was wanted on suspicion of serious sexual assault when he was shot. The Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that all hospitalized patients in police custody are restricted unless they undergo medical procedures. Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers answered “hell yeah” when asked during a news conference if he was concerned that Blake was handcuffed. The governor said Blake had already paid a “terrible price.”
Blake’s attorney in the sexual assault case said Friday that Blake was no longer immobilized. He said the arrest warrant in the sexual assault case has been overturned, although the charges persist. The Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement that Blake was no longer in custody because he had posted bond and deputies were no longer guarding him at the hospital.
“Fortunately, a man who is paralyzed and fighting for his life after being shot seven times in the back will no longer have to deal with the pain of having his ankles and wrists chained and the traumatic stress of being under armed guard,” explains Blake. . Attorneys in the shooting case, Ben Crump, Patrick Salvi and B’Ivory Lamarr said in a statement.
