Police In Wisconsin Shoot Black Man In Back Multiple Times, Sparking Protests

A large crowd of protesters gathered following the police shooting of a Black man in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Sunday. He was identified by Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers as Jacob Blake. The county declared a state of emergency overnight curfew, according to CBS Milwaukee affiliate WDJT-TV.

The man was transported to the hospital in serious condition, according to police. His father said on Facebook that his son is alive and in stable condition. Family friend Daniel Poneman tweeted that Blake is out of surgery, in the ICU and is "expected to make it."

Graphic video that purportedly shows the shooting began circulating on social media. The video, which appears to have been taken from across the street, shows the man walking around an SUV as police yell at him with weapons drawn, with one officer closely following him. As the man opens the driver-side door of the vehicle, the officer grabs the back of the man's shirt and appears to fire several shots into the man's back. At least seven shots are heard in the video, but it was unclear how many officers fired. 

In a statement, Kenosha Police said they were called to the 28th Avenue and 40th Street around 5:11 p.m for a "domestic incident." 

Evers released a statement in which he said Blake was "shot in the back multiple times, in broad daylight."

"While we do not have all of the details yet, what we know for certain is that he is not the first Black man or person to have been shot or injured or mercilessly killed at the hands of individuals in law enforcement in our state or our country," Evers said.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice said it would lead the investigation of the shooting and added that the officers involved have been placed on administrative leave. 

People began gathering at the scene and nearby following the shooting. 

WDJT reports that protesters forced more than a dozen officers form the shooting scene. Just before, someone started a fire and an officer was attacked. A WDJT photographer was hit in the leg by a brick someone threw at an exiting police car.

WDJT's Kim Shine tweeted that demonstrators outside police headquarters were tear-gassed at least twice and that there were numerous vehicle fires there and outside a local courthouse. The crowd pretty much dispersed after the tear-gassings, she said. 

A neighbor told the station the man who was shot is a father.

Civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, who represents George Floyd's family, weighed in on Twitter:

Kenosha County Board Supervisor Zach Rodriguez was at the scene, WDJT reports. "I'm praying for that family, regardless of the situation," Rodriguez said. "What happened here tonight highlights that we need body cameras for not just our sheriff's deputies, but our city police department as well."

"It goes back to the Emmett Tills. We're tired of it. Rodney King. We're tired of it. And right now, this is the wrong generation that this is happening to. The frustration is boiling to the top and we're sick and tired," said Clyde McLemore, of the Black Lives Matter Lake County, Illinois, chapter.

Blake's cousin, @PaulyG103, tweeted, "We will not excuse the actions of the Kenosha Police department, but his mother asks everyone to please remain peaceful."

There was no word of any arrests. A petition on Change.org calling for the officers to be charged quickly gathered almost 13,000 signatures overnight.

Kenosha is on Lake Michigan, some 40 miles south of Milwaukee.