Protests in US city after police shooting of black man

WASHINGTON • Protests have erupted in Kenosha in the US state of Wisconsin after police shot an apparently unarmed black man multiple times in the back, according to the state governor, prompting the authorities to impose a curfew.

The incident on Sunday is likely to fuel further outrage and protests in the United States and abroad against police brutality and racism in the wake of the killing of Mr George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25.

The victim in Kenosha, identified by Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers as Mr Jacob Blake, was hospitalised in serious condition.

A video circulating on social media showed a man walking towards a car followed by two officers and one of them shooting him as he opens the car door.

Soon after, multiple fires were set at the scene by a crowd that gathered to protest against the incident.

Social media posts showed crowds marching down the streets of Kenosha, a city of around 100,000 people on Lake Michigan about 100km north of Chicago, and throwing Molotov cocktails and bricks at police officers.

Police responded by imposing a citywide curfew until 7am local time.

The shooting occurred at around 5pm as officers were responding to what they called a "domestic incident".

State authorities have not given further explanation on what led to the shooting but said they aim to issue a report to prosecutors within 30 days.

The officers involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative leave.

Governor Evers, in a tweet, said Mr Blake had been "shot in the back multiple times in broad daylight", adding: "We stand against excessive use of force and immediate escalation when engaging with black Wisconsinites."

REUTERS

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on August 25, 2020, with the headline Protests in US city after police shooting of black man. Subscribe