Jacob Blake is a black American who was shot multiple times in the back by Wisconsin police officers in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on the evening of Sunday, August 23, 2020. Jacob was then rushed to Froedt Hospital in Milwaukee, where he began treatment in the intensive care unit. The shooting of Jacob Blake occurred nearly three months after George Floyd, a black man, was pinned to the ground and killed by white police officer Derek Chauvin. The shooting of Jacob Blake has once again sparked nationwide protests against police violence and racism in the United States.
Wiki/Biography
Jacob Blake was born on Tuesday, April 30, 1991 (29 years old in 2020) in Wisconsin, U.S.A. He was reportedly a security guard who had been living in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on the shores of Lake Michigan for the past two years. On the evening of Sunday, August 23, 2020, he was shot and killed by Wisconsin police.
family
Parents and siblings
Jacob Blake’s father, Jacob Blake Sr., has launched an online campaign GoFundMe to raise money for Jacob Blake’s medical and legal expenses. Jacob Blake’s mother called for peace after Jacob Blake was shot seven times by Wisconsin police. Jacob has a twin sister, Dio Rae Blake. After false news about Jacob’s death spread on social media, his sister Dio Rae Blake wrote on Facebook,
Stop spreading fake news, my brother is still fighting, all we need is prayers.”
Jacob Blake and his sister Dior Lei Blake
Relationships, Wife and Children
According to sources, Jacob Blake has seven children, including three sons with his fiancée Laquisha Booker.
Jacob Blake and his children
Jacob Blake and his children
After Jacob Blake was shot and killed, his fiancée Laquisha Booker condemned the actions of Wisconsin police and said,
You shot him multiple times for no reason. You didn’t care that my children were in the car. You knew they were in the car because I kept yelling that.”
Jacob Blake’s fiancée Laquisha Booker
According to Jacob Blake’s fiancée Laquisha Booker and his attorney Benjamin Crump, Jacob’s three sons (ages 3, 5 and 8) were in the car at the time of the incident.
Video of Jacob Blake shooting
Jacob Blake was shot seven times by Wisconsin police in Kenosha on the evening of Sunday, August 23, 2020. A graphic video subsequently emerged on social media showing Jacob Blake being shot at close range by Wisconsin police. The video shows three officers walking behind Blake; an officer with a gun follows Blake to the driver’s side of his car. Later, a white officer appears to shoot Jacob in the back as he enters the SUV. The shooting took place on a residential street filled with apartment buildings. Many people shared the video, including Benjamin Crump, a civil rights attorney who is representing Blake’s family. Benjamin Crump is the attorney representing George Floyd, a black man who died under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer during a conflict with him on May 25, 2020.
Wow. This black man was shot multiple times in the back. @KenoshaPolice today. He apparently got into the car after trying to stop a fight between two women. He is in critical condition. We demand justice! #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/I1reDEp4nw
— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) August 24, 2020
protest
After the shooting of Jacob Blake, large protests broke out in Kenosha and cities across the U.S. The protests became part of the larger Black Lives Matter movement, which began in response to a number of high-profile police killings in the U.S. in 2020, including the deaths of George Floyd, Ray Allen Brooks and Breonna Taylor.
Jacob Blake shooting protests
By late night on Sunday, August 23, 2020, the incident immediately sparked riots in Kenosha, and by 10:15 p.m., hundreds of people had arrived at the Kenosha County Public Safety Building, chanting “
There can be no peace without justice.”
Later, multiple cars were set on fire, protesters smashed multiple windows, and despite the declared curfew, the crowd confronted law enforcement, who fired tear gas to disperse the crowd. At 11:15 p.m., a city dump truck was engulfed in flames.
The 911 call behind the incident
According to reports, someone called 911 while Jacob Blake was intervening in a fight between two female neighbors. According to Kenosha police, around 5:11 p.m. on Sunday, August 23, 2020, Kenosha police received a call reporting a domestic dispute; however, police did not reveal what exactly happened near Jacob Blake’s home or how Jacob was related to the incident.
Joe Biden and others respond to shooting
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden condemned the incident and said:
This requires an immediate, full, transparent investigation, and the officers must be held accountable. These shootings pierce the soul of our nation. Jill and I pray for Jacob and his children’s recovery.”
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers said as he listed other black people killed by police.
Tonight, Jacob Blake was shot multiple times in the back in broad daylight in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Kathy and I join his family, friends, and neighbors in sincerely hoping that he does not succumb to his injuries. While we do not yet have all the details, we know for sure that he is not the first Black person to be shot, injured, or senselessly killed by law enforcement officers in our state or our country.”
Martin Luther King’s daughter Bernice King expressed her sadness on Twitter, writing:
We should no longer be seeing videos of Black people being brutalized and/or shot by police in clear cases of excessive or unjustified use of force. Anyone who does not believe we are out of the state of emergency is choosing a lack of empathy and awareness.”
Jeffrey Robinson, director of the ACLU’s Trone Center for Justice and Equality, called the police’s actions disgusting.
“Another vicious act of police brutality was captured on camera. Unfortunately, this abhorrent act of police brutality will only become commonplace as long as police continue to act as an occupying force in Black communities.”
Suspended police officer
In the early morning of Monday, August 24, 2020, the Wisconsin Department of Justice issued a statement saying that the officers involved in the shooting of Jacob Blake have been suspended. The state’s Criminal Investigation Department is reportedly investigating the shooting of Jacob Blake; but the state Department of Justice did not disclose the identities of these officers or explain why they confronted Blake. The statement issued by the Wisconsin Department of Justice reads:
The DCI is leading this investigation and is being assisted by the Wisconsin State Patrol and the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office. All law enforcement agencies involved are fully cooperating with the DCI during this investigation.”
Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul wished Blake a speedy recovery and said,
The Wisconsin Department of Justice is vigorously and thoroughly investigating yesterday’s police shooting in Kenosha. As with all our investigations, we will remain steadfast in our pursuit of justice in this case.”
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education