Jacob Blake shooting: Donald Trump 'sending National Guard' to Wisconsin

26 August 2020, 18:46

President Trump has tweeted that he will be 'sending federal law enforcement and the National Guard' to Wisconsin following three nights of protests over the police shooting of a black man.

In his first tweet, the President wrote: "We will NOT stand for looting, arson, violence, and lawlessness on American streets. My team just got off the phone with Governor Evers who agreed to accept federal assistance (Portland should do the same!)..."

In a follow up, he stated: "...TODAY, I will be sending federal law enforcement and the National Guard to Kenosha, WI to restore LAW and ORDER!"

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers has authorised the deployment of 500 state National Guard members to support police in Kenosha in Wisconsin tonight, it has been confirmed.

The move comes after three days of protests over the shooting of Jacob Blake, who has been left paralysed after being fired at multiple times in the back by an officer.

Last night, two people were shot dead during protests, and 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse, from Antioch, Illinois, has since ben arrested.

He was arrested in Illinois on suspicion of first-degree intentional homicide.

The teenager has been described as a "police admirer".

Kenosha Police Lieutenant Joseph Nosalik said the shooting was reported at around 11:45pm in the area where three nights of protests have been taking place.

The third person who was shot during the incident is in a serious condition at a local hospital but their injuries are said to be non-life-threatening.

Jacob Blake's mother calls for violence to end

The family of Jacob Blake said it would "take a miracle" for him to walk again and called for the officer who opened fire to be arrested and the others involved to lose their jobs.

The 29-year-old appeared to be shot in the back seven times by police on Sunday, in a mobile phone video shared online, while three of his children in a car looked on.

His shooting has sparked new protests over racial injustice in several cities, including Los Angeles, Wisconsin's capital Madison and Minneapolis, where just three months earlier the death of George Floyd at the hands of police ignited mass demonstrations.

On Tuesday, Mr Blake's father - who is also named Jacob - spoke alongside other family members and lawyers, telling reporters that police shot his son "seven times, seven times, like he didn't matter".

"But my son matters. He's a human being and he matters," the elder Mr Blake said.

Lawyer Ben Crump said the younger Jacob Blake is in surgery after the bullets fired at him severed his spinal cord and shattered his vertebrae, while another lawyer added there was also severe damage to his organs.

"It's going to take a miracle for Jacob Blake Jr to ever walk again," Mr Crump said.

White cop shoots unarmed black father seven times in the back as walks away

A civil lawsuit will be filed against the police department over the shooting, which the police have so far said little about, other than that they were responding to a domestic dispute.

The officers involved have not been named but were placed on administrative leave - standard practice in a shooting by police - and the Wisconsin Department of Justice is investigating.

Police deployed tear gas for the third night in a row on Tuesday in a bid to break up protesters who had gathered outside Kenosha's courthouse.

Some were shaking a protective fence, while others threw water bottles and fireworks at officers lined up behind it.

Armoured vehicles and officers with shields were used to push back the crowd when demonstrators ignored warnings to leave a nearby park.

Wisconsin governor Tony Evers called for calm on Tuesday, while also declaring a state of emergency. He also doubled the National Guard deployment in Kenosha from 125 to 250.

"We cannot allow the cycle of systemic racism and injustice to continue," Mr Evers said. "We also cannot continue going down this path of damage and destruction."

Mr Blake's mother, Julia Jackson, said the damage in Kenosha does not reflect what her family wants and that, if her son could see it, he would be "very unpleased".

She said the first thing her son said to her when she saw him was that he was sorry.

Ms Jackson said: "He said, 'I don't want to be a burden on you guys, I want to be with my children, and I don't think I'll walk again.'"

The man who claimed to have made the video, 22-year-old Raysean White, said that he saw Mr Blake scuffling with three officers and heard them yell, "Drop the knife! Drop the knife!" before the gunfire erupted.

However, he said he did not see a knife in Mr Blake's hands.