Warning: Video is disturbing.
Police in Kenosha, Wisconsin say that two people were killed and a third person was injured in a shooting amid protests over the police shooting of 29-year-old Jacob Blake.
According to the official account, cops responded Tuesday night at about 11:45 p.m. to reports of shoots being fired and multiple victims. The survivor sustained “serious, but non-life threatening injuries,” police said.
The investigation is ongoing. No more details are to be released at this time, authorities said.
Police ask that anyone who witnessed the shooting call the Kenosha Police Department Detective Bureau at (262) 605-5203. People can remain anonymous by calling Kenosha Area Crime Stoppers at (262) 656-7333.
“Investigators are aware of the social media videos being circulated regarding this incident,” they said. “If anyone has uncirculated video or photos, please call.”
As seen in video posted to Twitter, a man armed with a long gun runs down the street. Other people are running too. One of them strikes the armed man from the back. At some point, he falls to the ground. He opens fire as another man does a leaping kick at him. Another person apparently tries to rip the firearm from his hands, but instead falls to the pavement as more shots are fired.
The armed man stood up. More shots are heard on video, but it doesn’t seem as if he was pointing his weapon or firing it. He continued down the street.
“Hey, he just shot them,” a male bystander said. “Dude right here just shot them.”
Another video appears to show the shooter saying “I just killed somebody.”
The armed man had his hands up as several police vehicles with flashing lights drove past him.
The shooting of Jacob Blake by police on Sunday sparked protests and violence. As seen on video, Blake was shot as he walked away from officers and entered his vehicle from the driver side. An attorney for his family said that his children were inside. Blake was shot seven times. The incident landed in a cultural fissure: Blake, who survived with life-altering injuries, is Black. The shooting fueled an ongoing debate over how law enforcement treats people of color, especially Black men.
Things got ugly overnight on Tuesday, with Kenosha seeing another curfew. Officers told people to go home.
A group of armed men stood outside a local gas station, saying they were going to protect it, according to The New York Times. The area became tense. More people arrived there. There was reportedly arguing and shoving at the scene, as officers approached in armored trucks.
The shots in question were reportedly fired outside of the property. Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth told the Times that the investigation was on the group of armed men.
“I’ve had people saying, ‘Why don’t you deputize citizens?'” he said. “This is why you don’t deputize citizens with guns to protect Kenosha.”
[Screengrab via Brendan Gutenschwager @BGOnTheScene on Twitter]