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Jacob Blake, the black man who was shot in the back by police in the US state of Wisconsin, was reportedly released from handcuffs while in hospital.
Kenosha police had said that Blake was in custody on previous arrest warrants and that the handcuffs were political.
His attorney told the US media that these warrants had been canceled and that the officers guarding Mr. Blake had left.
Blake was paralyzed after being shot seven times by police and it is unclear if he will walk again.
Meanwhile, a court hearing for a teenager accused of killing two people during the riots over the Blake shooting has been delayed for a month.
Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, was due to appear in court in Lake County, Illinois, for a hearing on an extradition request to Wisconsin. But a judge postponed the extradition hearing until Sept. 25, the Associated Press reported.
Rittenhouse did not appear during the short video conference on Friday.
- Who is the American teenager charged with protest killings in Wisconsin?
He faces six criminal charges, including first degree manslaughter, first degree reckless murder and possession of a dangerous weapon under the legal age of 18.
Kyle Rittenhouse is being defended by a prominent law firm whose clients include President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer Rudolph Giuliani and former Trump adviser Carter Page, according to the Reuters news agency.
The Blake shooting in the city of Kenosha sparked demonstrations there and in other cities across the United States. It has been relatively quiet for the past two nights.
Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian said Friday that the city-wide curfew would remain in effect for the weekend.
There are more than 1,000 National Guard soldiers deployed to Kenosha and more on the way, authorities said.
What did the family say?
Blake’s father, also named Jacob Blake, spoke to reporters after visiting his son in the hospital.
“I hate that I was lying on that bed with the handcuffs on the bed,” he said, quoted by the Chicago Sun-Times. “He can’t go anywhere. Why are you sending him to bed?”
On Friday, Blake’s attorney, Patrick Cafferty, told US media that Blake was released from handcuffs and that the outstanding arrest warrants against him had been vacated.
Cafferty did not respond to an immediate request for comment.
When asked earlier that day if Blake was being held at the hospital, Kenosha Police Chief Daniel Miskinis told reporters that he was under surveillance by an “outside law enforcement agency” and did not provide further comment. about Blake’s condition.
Blake’s lawyers have said it will take “a miracle” for him to walk again.
Kenosha County Sheriff’s Department Lt. Eric Klinkhammer told the BBC: “Mr. Blake is being held on warrants for prior offenses. Our policy is that all persons in custody outside of our prison must be insured with restrictions “.
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers, who was asked by reporters if he was concerned that Mr. Blake had been handcuffed to his bed, said, “Hell yeah.”
“I personally would not understand why it would be necessary,” he said. “He’s certainly already paid a terrible price, he’s been shot seven or eight times in the back.”
Members of Blake’s family were due to attend a high-profile civil rights rally in Washington on Friday. It has been fueled by months of rioting by police brutality against blacks.
On Thursday, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) called for the immediate resignation of the Kenosha County Sheriff and Police Chief, accusing them of upholding “white supremacy” and “demonizing people who were killed for exercising their rights. of the First Amendment and speak out against police violence. ” “.
Mayor Antaramian said Friday that he was not considering requesting the resignation of Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth or Police Chief Daniel Miskinis.
“When you look at what has happened, everyone is doing the best they can in the situation they are in,” he said.
How did the shooting happen?
The circumstances that led to the shooting of Mr. Blake are still under investigation.
Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul said officers were called to an address after a woman reported that “her boyfriend was present and was not supposed to be at the scene.”
While there, the officers attempted to arrest Mr. Blake, initially using a taser gun on him. After Blake opened his car door, Officer Rusten Sheskey, who has been with the Kenosha Police Department for seven years, fired seven shots into Blake’s back.
“No other officer fired his gun,” Kaul said.
Kaul added that officers “recovered a knife from the floor on the driver’s side” of the car. No other weapons were found in the vehicle.
Since then, Rusten Sheskey and another officer have been placed on administrative leave.
- Jacob Blake shot: what we know
What about Kyle Rittenhouse?
The 17-year-old had told reporters that it was “his job” to protect buildings in Kenosha from protesters.
Videos on social media appeared to show a man with a rifle being chased by a crowd before falling to the ground and appearing to shoot them.
Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26, were killed in the incident. Gaige Grosskreutz, also 26, was injured.
Rittenhouse was arrested at his mother’s home in Antioch, Illinois, on Wednesday.
When asked how Mr. Rittenhouse was able to leave the scene without being detained by authorities, Chief Miskinis said “there was nothing to suggest that this individual was involved in criminal behavior.”
“There were a lot of people in the area,” Misikinis said, adding that he did not believe it was an error in judgment to have allowed Rittenhouse to leave.