Jacob Blake paralyzed after police shot

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Jacob Blake, a Black man from Kenosha, Wisconsin, was shot multiple times by local cops on Sunday.
• According to Ben Crump, Blake’s family lawyer, Jacob is now paralyzed and it would take “a miracle” in order for him to walk again.
• The incident provoked new protests over calls against racial injustice.

A Black man named Jacob Blake was shot multiple times by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin on Sunday. The family’s attorney said on Tuesday that Blake is paralyzed and that it would “take a miracle” so he could walk again.

Ben Crump, the family’s lawyer, said that Blake was in surgery as he suffered severe damage on his spinal cord and vertebrae. His organs also got impaired according to another attorney.

“It’s going to take a miracle for Jacob Blake Jr. to ever walk again,” Crump said.

“They shot my son seven times, seven times, like he didn’t matter,” Blake’s father said, who had the name Jacob Blake. “But my son matters. He’s a human being and he matters.”

Blake’s legal team is considering suing the Kenosha police department over the shooting. Aside from responding to a local dispute, the police did not provide any details on the incident. The Justice Department of Wisconsin has launched an investigation. Officers involved in the case were not named.

The incident sparked new protests against racial injustice in numerous cities statewide. Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers pleaded for a calm Tuesday after the city’s protests turned into unrest as demonstrators damaged several establishments and lit up over 30 fires. 

The Democrat governor also declared a state of emergency, doubling the deployment of the National Guard in Kenosha.

“We cannot allow the cycle of systemic racism and injustice to continue. We also cannot continue going down this path of damage and destruction,” he said. 

Instead of a violent protest, Evers encouraged a peaceful rally. “Please do not allow the actions of a few distract us from the work we must do together to demand justice, equity, and accountability,” he noted.

The GOP has been criticizing him over his management of the unrest.

Julia Jackson, Blake’s mother, said that the unrest was not what their family wanted. She added that if her son saw what happened, he would be “very unpleased.”

Jackson said that Blake apologized to her when she first saw him.

“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,’” his mother said.

According to Crump, Blake’s three sons, aged 3, 5, and 8, were in the car when the shooting happened. It was his eldest son’s birthday.

The shooting was captured on a cellphone video that showed Blake being shot on his back as his children witnessed the incident. 

According to Raysean White, the man who documented the video, Blake was scuffling with three policemen. He heard them shouting, “Drop the knife! Drop the knife!” then gunfires came. White said he did not see Blake holding a knife.

Source: AOL.com