Protests erupted overnight in Kenosha, Wis., after Jacob Blake, a Black man, was shot several times at close range in the back as he entered the driver's side door of an SUV during an encounter with police, additional information available here. The shooting, with seven shots ringing out, was caught on video that has since gone viral, sparking outrage. Mr. Blake was taken to a Milwaukee hospital, in serious condition, and fighting for his life. Mr. Blake’s three children – ages 3, 5 and 8 – were in the car, a family attorney said. Several hours after the shooting, large crowds gathered in Kenosha, located roughly 40 miles south of Milwaukee.
Two Wisconsin police officers are on leave Monday as state authorities investigate. Neither officer has been identified.
The shooting came as demonstrators continue to decry police violence in American cities, including the encounters that killed George Floyd and Breonna Taylor nearly three months ago. The night before Mr. Blake's shooting, protests erupted in Lafayette, Louisiana, after police killed another Black man – Trayford Pellerin, 31 – outside a convenience store.