2 people killed, 1 injured in shooting during Jacob Blake protest

Two people are dead and another injured after a shooting Tuesday evening at a protest in response to the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wis.

According to reports, gunfire erupted just before midnight, leading to a chaotic scene. Videos showed a crowd chasing one person suspected of being involved, while an image obtained by Reuters shows a man lying on the ground aiming what appears to be a rifle at a masked protester standing above him.

Police announced later Wednesday afternoon that a suspect in the two shooting deaths, 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse, an Illinois native, had been arrested and is expected to be charged with first-degree intentional homicide, according to the AP.

The shooting victims have not yet been identified, according to The Associated Press. Members of the crowd tried unsuccessfully to save one person who was shot in the head at the scene, according to multiple news reports.

Tuesday night’s shooting came on the third night of protests in the city following the police shooting of Blake on Sunday. Blake’s family says he is currently paralyzed from the waist down after being shot seven times while reaching into an SUV.

Wisconsin’s Gov. Tony Evers (D) had called for calm in tweets earlier in the day, urging protesters to remain peaceful even as images and videos have shown a facility operated by the state corrections system burned to the ground.

“The ability to exercise First Amendment rights is a critically important part of our democracy and the pursuit of justice. But there remains a line between peaceful assembly and what we saw last night that put individuals, families, and businesses in danger,” he wrote Tuesday afternoon.

“We are assessing the damage to state property and will be increasing the presence of the Wisconsin National Guard to ensure individuals can exercise their right safely, protect state buildings and critical infrastructure, and support first responders and fire fighters,” Evers continued.

We are assessing the damage to state property and will be increasing the presence of the Wisconsin National Guard to ensure individuals can exercise their right safely, protect state buildings and critical infrastructure, and support first responders and fire fighters.

— Governor Tony Evers (@GovEvers) August 25, 2020

The protests over Blake’s shooting come as many cities in the U.S. were already seeing protests in response to the deaths of several Black Americans during encounters with police in recent months, including George Floyd in Minneapolis and Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Ky.

Updated at 6:40 p.m.