Jacob Blake, US Black Man Paralyzed After Being Shot By Police

JAKARTA - Jacob Blake, a black man who was showered with hot lead by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, United States (US) was paralyzed. His family admits that now they can only hope for a miracle for Jacob.

"It will take a miracle for Jacob Blake Jr. to walk again," said Benjamin Crump, one of the Blake family's lawyers.

The 29-year-old black man underwent surgery on the afternoon of Tuesday, August 26, two days after police shot him at close range. Jacob was shot at when he was about to enter the SUV.

In the vehicle were his 3, 5 and 8 year old sons. Jacob Blake's father, Jacob Blake Sr., described the shooting as an absurd assassination attempt.

"They shot my son seven times. Seven times as if he was unimportant, but my son is important," said Jacob Blake Sr. "He's human and he's important."

Blake suffered multiple injuries, including gunshot wounds to the arm, damage to his kidneys, liver and spinal cord. This was explained directly by another family lawyer, Patrick Salvi Jr.

"He had a bullet that penetrated part or all of his spinal cord, at least one bullet. He had a hole in his stomach. He had to remove almost his entire colon and small intestine," added Salvi saying the family would file a civil suit against the police department for the shooting. .

A 24-second video shows Blake fighting police officers in the back of his SUV as a group of people surround them. Blake then walked around the front of the vehicle followed by two police officers and approached the driver's door moments before the shooting.

It's not clear what drives the interaction, but the video shows a new perspective.

"All my grandchildren ask repeatedly, 'Why did the police shoot my father in the back?'" Said Jacob Blake Sr.

The shooting sparked protests and riots in the state. This prompted Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers to declare a state of emergency.

The Wisconsin government also deployed 125 Wisconsin National Guard troops to Kenosha. Kenosha authorities also enforce a curfew starting at 8 p.m. Sheriff David Beth called on "people to stay off the streets for their safety."

After demonstrators set fire to cars and buildings on the evening of Monday, August 24, Jacob Blake's mother, Julia Jackson, called for a peaceful protest. He said his son would not be happy with "violence and destruction".

Julia Jackson also said the damage in the city did not reflect her child or family. She asked for prayers not only for her son, but for healing throughout the country.

"Obviously you can see now that I have beautiful tan skin, but look at your hands and whatever the shade is, they are beautiful too," said Jackson. "How dare we hate ourselves. We are human."

"Neither one is superior to the other. The highest is only God. Let's start praying for healing for our nation. We are the United States, have we united? " he added.

The local police unit has urged the public to withhold the assessment until the investigation is complete. The shootings came as demonstrators continued to denounce police violence in US cities, including the ones that killed George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.

The night before Blake's shooting, protests erupted in Lafayette, Louisiana, after police reportedly killed a black man named Trayford Pellerin in the courtyard of a department store.

"If we don't have the systematic reforms currently demanded in the US, then we will continue to see hashtag after hashtag, protest after protest, and cities burn across America," Crump said.

Several shops burned down in Kenosha and Evers called in the National Guard to help "protect critical infrastructure." Evers said that protests are an important part of democracy but that there are still options for peaceful meetings. Violent demonstrations could harm individuals, families and businesses, said Evers.