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A timeline of the police shooting of Jacob Blake, which has reignited anti-racism protests nationwide

Aug 29, 2020, 03:31 IST
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The police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Sunday, August 23 reignited protests against police brutality and racism.@davenewworld_2/Twitter; Morry Gash/AP Photo; Brandon Bell/Getty Images; Insider
  • Millions have watched a video of police officers in Kenosha, Wisconsin, shooting Jacob Blake in the back on Sunday.
  • The 29-year-old has "eight holes" in his body and is paralyzed from the waist down, his father said Tuesday.
  • Two police officers have been placed on administrative leave as the state Department of Justice investigates the incident. On Wednesday, the agency identified the officer who shot Blake as Rusten Sheskey.
  • Blake's shooting reignited national protests against police brutality and racism. Demonstrators are demanding justice not only in Kenosha but also in New York City, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, and elsewhere.
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Protests have once again erupted in cities across the United States with thousands expressing outrage at the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Sunday.

Blake, a father-of-six, survived, but he is paralyzed from the waist down, his father said on Tuesday.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation is investigating the officer-involved shooting.

Here's how Kenosha, a city of 100,000 in the southeast corner of the state, became a hub of racial tension.

Sunday, August 23

  • Officers from the Kenosha Police Department responded to a "reported domestic incident" at 5:11 p.m. local time.
  • Witnesses told the Winona Daily News that Blake was trying to break up a fight between two women.
  • It's unclear what happened in the moments before the video. Some witnesses have said police used a Taser and wrestled with Blake before the shooting, but it hasn't been confirmed.
  • Raysean White told CNN he looked out his window and saw police putting Blake in a headlock, punching him in the ribs, tugging on his arm, and Tasing him.
  • White filmed Blake rounding an SUV with two police officers tailing him, one of them with a gun trained on his back.
A still from the video, posted to Twitter, showing police following Jacob Blake.@davenewworld_2/Twitter
Jacob Blake lies on the street after he got shot following a police shooting in Kenosha, Wisconsin, U.S., August 23, 2020 in this screen grab obtained from a social media video.Incident Response/Reuters
  • Officers provided medical aid to Blake at the scene before air-lifting him to Milwaukee-based Froedtert Hospital in serious condition around 5:30 p.m.
  • Prominent civil rights attorney, Ben Crump, posted White's clip on social media at 9:24 p.m., quickly gaining millions of views.
  • News of Blake's shooting sparked protests in Kenosha, with demonstrators demanding justice for Blake and an end to police violence and systemic racism in the US.
    • Photos from the demonstrations show people setting fire to cars and a courthouse, and police clashing with crowds.
A protester stands off with police in riot gear outside the Kenosha County Courthouse, late Monday, Aug. 24, 2020, in Kenosha, Wis. Protesters converged on the county courthouse during a second night of clashes after the police shooting of Jacob Blake a day earlier turned Kenosha into the nation's latest flashpoint city in a summer of racial unrest.David Goldman/AP
  • Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers identified Blake as the person shot by police "in broad daylight," and condemned the excessive use of force at 10:35 p.m.

Monday, August 24

Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley said an investigation is underway and two things would be required to bring criminal charges against the officers involved in Blake's shooting:

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  • "One, did any officer in this case commit any crimes? And two, are there any crimes we believe were committed that we can prove beyond a reasonable doubt? If those two things are concluded as a 'yes,' then criminal charges would be brought at the end of that process."
A window is spray painted at the Kenosha County Administration building next to the Kenosha County courthouse in Kenosha, Wisconsin, U.S., during protests following the police shooting of Black man Jacob Blake August 23, 2020.Mike De Sisti/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel via USA TODAY via REUTERS
  • People start donating to a GoFundMe campaign that will benefit the Blake family by paying for "medical bills, family expenses, legal representation, support for his children and therapy costs."
  • Athletes, politicians, and activists decried the violence that landed Blake in hospital.
  • At 1:58 p.m., Evers said on Twitter that there's a need to "increase accountability and transparency in policing in Wisconsin."
  • He deployed the National Guard to Kenosha, where officials declared an emergency curfew from 8 p.m. Monday until 7 a.m. Tuesday.
Security forces stand guard in front of the courthouse following the shooting of a Jacob Blake by police officer sin Kenosha, Wisconsin.Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
  • Some protesters ignored the curfew, lobbing water bottles at officers, spraying graffiti, smashing windows, looting businesses, and setting fires.
  • Law enforcement officials used rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse the gathering.
  • People also protested in several other cities, including Madison, Minneapolis, New York, DC, Los Angeles, and Denver.

Tuesday, August 25

  • Blake's father, also named Jacob Blake, told the Chicago Sun-Times Tuesday morning that his son is paralyzed from below the waist and his body has "eight holes."
  • Evers returned to Twitter at 1:22 p.m. to say that he has requesting more National Guard troops, urging people to "protest peacefully and safely."
Family members of Jacob Blake are seen walking to a press conference in front of the Kenosha County Courthouse in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on August 25, 2020.Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
  • At the same press conference, Blake's mother, Julia Jackson, asked people to pray for her son's recovery and said "we need healing" as a country.
  • Kenosha County Executive Jim Kreuser and Mayor John Antaramian issued a statement on Facebook at 3:23 p.m., decrying the looting, arson, and destruction that has accompanied protests.
    • They announced that not only was Evers dispatching additional National Guard troops, but another 100 law enforcement officers were being sent to Kenosha from elsewhere in Wisconsin to patrol the streets.
Burned cars are seen at a damaged car dealership on August 25, 2020 amid ongoing protests over the shooting of Jacob Blake by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin.Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
  • President Donald Trump wrote on Twitter at 7:16 p.m. that Evers "should call in the National Guard in Wisconsin. It is ready, willing, and more than able. End problem FAST!"
  • Protests erupted for a third night in Kenosha and gunfire was reported around 11:45 p.m.

Wednesday, August 26

  • Three people were struck by bullets — two of them died and one is hospitalized with serious injuries, Kenosha police said on Facebook at 4:27 a.m.
  • Law enforcement officials are investigating whether the shooting was triggered by a conflict between demonstrators and armed civilians who have taken it upon themselves to guard local businesses, including a gas station.
Crowds clash with police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, during the second night of unrest following the police shooting of Jacob Blake.David Goldman/AP Photo
  • The Kenosha County Board of Supervisors sent a letter to Evers, shared on Facebook at 6:43 a.m., asking him to immediately send 1,500 National Guard members with police powers to "help preserve and save" Kenosha and return "civility" to the area.
  • Local officials announced at 7:01 a.m. that the Kenosha County Courthouse, which agitators have targeted, will remain closed.
  • Kyle Rittenhouse, a 17-year-old from Antioch, Illinois, was arrested in connection with the shooting, USA Today's Nick Penzenstadler tweeted at 12:03 p.m.
  • Leading up to Rittenhouse's arrest, Daily Caller video journalist Richie McGinniss shared an interview with the teenager on Twitter.
    • In it, Rittenhouse said, "People are getting injured and our job is to protect this business and part of my job is to also help people." He said he was armed — a Smith & Wesson AR-15 style .223 rifle was strapped across his chest — because "I gotta protect myself, obviously," but also showed McGinniss his "med kit."
  • Evers issued a statement announcing that he had authorized 500 additional National Guard troops to support local officers. That's up from 250 on Tuesday.
  • Trump said on Twitter that he plans to send federal troops to Kenosha. "We will NOT stand for looting, arson, violence, and lawlessness on American streets," he wrote at 12:19 p.m.
  • The US Department of Justice announced it will conduct a federal civil rights probe into the shooting. The FBI said that it would conduct the federal inquiry in cooperation with local authorities.
  • Athletes protested: The NBA season is on the verge of ending early as the Los Angeles Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers push their team owners for social justice reform, and tennis player Naomi Osaka took a stance against police violence by dropping out of the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, Ohio.
  • The curfew didn't stop protesters from pouring into the streets of Kenosha. Photographs from the scene show people carrying signs, marching, chanting, painting messages of hope on sidewalks, and grilling food for each other. There were no reports of clashes between law enforcement officials and demonstrators.
  • The Kenosha News reported that police searched a U-haul truck, which, based on images on social media, was filled with water and food supplies.

Thursday, August 27

  • Kenosha DA Graveley filed a criminal complaint against Rittenhouse, which detailed his "utter disregard for human life" and the events surrounding Tuesday night's shooting.
  • Rittenhouse has been charged with first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree reckless homicide, attempted first-degree intentional homicide, and two counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety.
    • A conviction for the first charge could put him behind bars for life, the complaint said.
  • The complaint also identified Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26, as the two men Rittenhouse shot dead. Gaige Grosskreutz, 26, was also struck by gunfire, but is expected to survive.
  • Blake's father told the Chicago Sun-Times that his paralyzed and sedated son was handcuffed to his hospital bed during a visit on Wednesday.
  • Former Democratic presidential hopeful Andrew Yang said on Twitter at 4:31 p.m. that Blake's legs are also restrained.
  • Speaking on the final night of the RNC, Trump, who has yet to address Blake's shooting, voiced his opposition for "mob rule," WISN-TV reported.
    • "In the strongest possible terms, the Republican Party condemns the rioting, looting, arson and violence we have seen in Democrat-run cities like Kenosha, Minneapolis, Portland, Chicago, and New York," he said.

Friday, August 28

  • Patrick Cafferty, the Blake family's attorney, said that $500 bail had taken care of a warrant that had been issued in July for Blake's arrest.
    • "The warrant is vacated, the cuffs are removed, and the deputies have left the hospital," Cafferty told Patch.
    • The warrant was issued after an incident in May that resulted in Blake being charged with felony sexual assault as well as disorderly conduct and criminal trespassing, both misdemeanors, according to Wisconsin court records.

This story is developing. Check back for updates.

Yelena Dzhanova and Frank Carber contributed to this report.

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