Protests Turn Violent In Kenosha, Wisconsin, After Video Shows Police Officers Shooting Black Man In The Back
Protests turned violent in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Sunday evening after police officers were seen shooting a black man in the back during a domestic incident.
A man was shot just after 5:15 p.m. local time during what Kenosha police said was a domestic disturbance. Viral video taken from across the street appeared to show officers shooting the man as he opened the door of a car and reached into the front seat.
While details were not fully known, the department said the shooting was under investigation by the Wisconsin Department of Justice’s division of criminal investigation.
The Kenosha News reported that neighbors said the victim had been trying to break up a fight between two women before he was shot.
Law enforcement members administered aid to him at the scene, and he was then airlifted to a hospital in Milwaukee. He listed in serious condition.
Neighbors also said that the person was shot in front of his children, and the report added that Kenosha investigators were not giving any more information about what transpired.
As the footage sparked anger across the country and drew comparisons to the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, a large crowd gathered in the street and got into some confrontations with law enforcement who responded to the protest wearing riot gear.
Reporter Kim Shine of CBS 58 shared video on Twitter showing tensions spilling over as some protesters took out their anger on a patrol car parked in the street near where the shooting happened.
“The vehicle believed to be involved in this incident has been towed away,” she reported. “There’s a few dozen people protesting. Some have stomped atop at least one cop car. Some tires slashed. Officers are inside the tape. Some talking w/ crowd.”
Lauren Linder of TMJ4 News also reported from the Kenosha protests, sharing pictures of some of the vandalism that took place.
This is what it looks like at the scene of @KenoshaPolice officer-involved shooting where a large crowd formed with some people getting on top of squads and breaking the windows. #Kenosha @tmj4 pic.twitter.com/NElRFG0vDY
— Lauren Linder (@lauren_linder) August 24, 2020
Other video showed people throwing objects at the officers on the scene and lighting fires. Linder wrote that someone taking part in the demonstrations threw an incendiary device that created multiple fires, which were also seen from many citizen journalists who livestreamed the Kenosha protests.
#BREAKING: Someone just threw some type of incendiary weapon that set multiple fires at scene @KenoshaPolice officer-involved shooting. Law enforcement have just shown up in riot gear & a military vehicle. #Kenosha @tmj4 pic.twitter.com/bFNnEA8RSo
— Lauren Linder (@lauren_linder) August 24, 2020
The Kenosha police had increased presence at the scene of the protests, with Linder reporting that a military vehicle came to the area. Some of the protesters dispersed amid the increased law enforcement presence, though a crowd of dozens remained in the streets more than four hours after the incident took place.
