The father of Jacob Blake is speaking out and has confirmed his son is paralyzed from the waist down with eight bullet wounds in his body.
It's an unfortunate, familiar tragic situation in 2020. According to witnesses and his attorney, Jacob Blake was simply trying to break up a fight when the law enforcement eyes turned on him. In a viral video, you can see Blake walking around to the front of his car, where his children were seated, attempting to get in before an officer pulls his shirt from behind and they open fire. reports say seven shots were fired, but Blake's father says he currently has eight wounds in his body - even one is TOO many.
Blake’s partner, Laquisha Booker, say their three children were in the back seat of the SUV when police shot him. “That man just literally grabbed him by his shirt and looked the other way and was just shooting him. With the kids in the back screaming. Screaming,” Booker said.
“They start to wrestle,” the witness said. “The officer is punching on him. Two officers come to assist. They get him down on the curb behind his vehicle. Somehow he manages to get up. They said he has a knife. All of the officers pull out their guns. ... (One of the officers) tells him, ‘Get out of the car!’ and he starts shooting.” Witnesses say they never saw a knife and details on if a knife was confiscated at the scene have not been confirmed.
Kenosha, Wisconsin is now the nationwide center for protests after an outraged black community continues to demand change and racial equality. Despite a mandatory curfew set for the second night in a row, businesses were set on fire, city vehicles were burned, fireworks were set off and Kenosha Police Department faced off with the public.
Jacob Blake has a long road to recovery ahead of him and doctors say they are not sure yet if the injuries are permanent at this point. The father is now making the drive from Charlotte, NC to go be with his son. “I want to put my hand on my son’s cheek and kiss him on his forehead, and then I’ll be OK,” his father said. “I’ll kiss him with my mask. The first thing I want to do is touch my son.”