Jacob Blake's Dad: My Son Is Paralyzed From Waist Down

Wisconsin man's partner says their 3 kids were in car screaming while he got shot by police
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 25, 2020 10:50 AM CDT
Jacob Blake's Dad on Son's Shooting: 'What Are We Doing?'
A protester shouts toward police after getting injured during clashes between the two sides late Monday in Kenosha, Wis.   (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Jacob Blake, the Black man shot in Kenosha, Wis., by police over the weekend is paralyzed from the waist down, his father says—and he wants answers. Doctors aren't sure if the paralysis suffered by the 29-year-old is permanent after he was shot eight times, according to the elder Jacob Blake, who's set to arrive Tuesday from North Carolina at the hospital where his son is being treated, per the Chicago Sun-Times. "What justified all those shots?" he says. "What justified doing that in front of my grandsons? What are we doing?" Laquisha Booker, the younger Blake's partner, tells WTMJ their three children were in the car he tried to get into before police shot him from behind, per the AP. "That man just literally grabbed him by his shirt and looked the other way and was just shooting him," she says. "With the kids in the back screaming. Screaming."

CNN notes the kids' ages as 3, 5, and 8. Protesters took to the streets for a second night on Monday after the Sunday shooting, and two officers have so far been placed on administrative leave. Per the Journal Times, a GoFundMe for Blake's family has raised more than $735,000 as of Tuesday morning (it was set up on Monday) to help pay for his medical bills, legal expenses, and support for his children. A big name is also speaking out after the shooting. "We are scared as Black people in America," NBA star LeBron James told reporters Monday, per Yahoo Sports. "Black men, Black women, Black kids, we are terrified. ... It just hurts." Meanwhile, Blake's father is simply anxious to see 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," the elder Blake tells the Sun-Times. (More Jacob Blake stories.)

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