Shocking moment white cop shoots unarmed black dad Jacob Blake in back SEVEN TIMES in front of his kids sparking riots
RIOTS have broken out in Wisconsin after an unarmed black dad was shot in the back seven times by a white police officer in front of his children.
Shocking footage of the shooting of 29-year-old Jacob Blake has sparked rioting across the state as Governor Tony Evers condemned the “excessive use of force”.
The shooting happened at about 5 pm local time in Kenosha as officers were responding to a “domestic incident”.
A video circulating on social media showed the man walking towards a car followed by two officers and one of them shooting him in front of his kids as he opens the car door.
Witnesses said Blake was trying to break up an argument between women in a home nearby.
Blake was immediately taken to a hospital by the police, according to a statement issued by the Kenosha police department.
No further explanation was given by the police as to what led to the shooting.
Benjamin Crump, a civil rights attorney who is representing the family of George Floyd, a Black man who died at the knee of a fired Minneapolis police officer on Memorial Day, shared a video from the incident on Twitter.
He also said Blake’s three sons were in the car.
‘THEY WILL BE TRAUMATIZED’
Mr Crump tweeted: “They saw a cop shoot their father.
“They will be traumatized forever. We cannot let officers violate their duty to PROTECT us. Our kids deserve better.”
Governor Evers tweeted: “We stand against excessive use of force and immediate escalation when engaging with Black Wisconsinites.”
Furious crowds gathered at the scene and threw bricks and Molotov cocktails at police, according to reports in social media.
Multiple fires were set at the scene by a crowd that gathered to protest against the incident, according to reports.
Some rioters smashed squad cars and one police officer collapsed to the pavement after he was hit with a brick
The unrest has prompted the County of Kenosha to declare a state of emergency.
A city-wide curfew was imposed until 7am.
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Social media posts showed large crowds marching down streets and throwing Molotov cocktails and bricks at the police, with one officer reportedly injured.
There have been ongoing protests in the United States against police brutality and racism since the death on May 25 of George Floyd.
The 46-year-old African-American man was killed after a white police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes.