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Kenosha: Gunfire, Arson Attacks Reported on 3rd Night of Protests Over Jacob Blake’s Shooting

© REUTERS / Brendan McDermidFlares go off in front of a Kenosha Country Sheriff Vehicle as demonstrators take part in a protest following the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, in Kenosha, Wisconsin, U.S. August 25, 2020.
Flares go off in front of a Kenosha Country Sheriff Vehicle as demonstrators take part in a protest following the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, in Kenosha, Wisconsin, U.S. August 25, 2020. - Sputnik International
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Wisconsin witnessed a third night of protests in Kenosha after a police-involved shooting of a black man, who is said to be paralysed at the moment. Violence continued on Tuesday night, with fires and clashes with police reported in the city.

Civil unrest continued in Kenosha on Tuesday night, with riot police using tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse crowds of protesters.

The demonstrations were initially peaceful, but many of the protesters defied the 8 p.m. curfew and walked toward the fenced courthouse, which sustained damage on the first night of unrest on Sunday.

After a crowd of several hundred tried to topple the fence, police in riot gear streamed from the building toward protesters, some of whom threw stones and fireworks at the officers.

​At about 9:30 p.m., military-style armoured vehicles pulled in front of the building and released clouds of tear gas into the crowd, which backed away into the nearby park.

​Riot police cleared rioters from the park shortly before 10 p.m., as they ignored warnings to disperse.

​A dumpster was set on fire near a gas station in the area of 63rd Street and Sheridan Road at around midnight. A man was filmed using a portable extinguisher to put out the fire.

​A mask-wearing girl was seen breaking apart slabs of concrete, apparently for protesters to throw them at police.

​While rioters were fleeing the scene, an armed civilian was seen shooting at close range as people approached him. One person is said to be in critical condition after being shot in the head, with two others injured.

​Police cordoned off the scene and found rifle casings on the ground.

​A car was set on fire at a car dealership where the protester was shot in the head.

​Rioters were seen smashing the windows of cars at another shop with bats and stones.

​Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers declared a state of emergency on Tuesday night, doubling the National Guard deployment in the city from 125 to 250.

The riots erupted on Sunday following the police-involved shooting of a black man named Jacob Blake, 29.

Blake, who reportedly had an arrest warrant out for rape and domestic abuse, was shot seven times at close range in the back by two white police officers.

A bystander’s video of the incident shows that Blake attempted to get into his SUV with his three sons, ages 8, 5, and 3, inside, while the officers were yelling at him, “Drop the knife!”

Blake is hospitalised in stable condition; the shots appear to have severed his spinal cord and shattered his verterbrae, an attorney for his family said on Tuesday. “It is going to take a miracle for Jacob Blake Jr. to ever walk again,” he added.

Blake’s family now plans to file a civil lawsuit against the Kenosha Plice Department to “hold the wrongdoers accountable”.

The night before, crowds of rioters set fire to dozens of buildings; at least half a dozen buildings were burned to the ground, including small businesses and a probation and parole office.

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