GoFundMe for Black man shot by police in Wisconsin raises over $1 million
Jacob Blake
KENOSHA, Wis. - A GoFundMe for Jacob Blake, the Black man shot multiple times by Wisconsin police, has raised over $1 million.
As of Wednesday morning, the campaign has raised more than $1.3 million, which the family says will be used to help cover Blake's medical expenses, mental and grief counseling for the family, legal fees, and Blake's six children.
The shooting of Blake on Sunday in Kenosha — apparently in the back while three of his children looked on — was captured on cellphone video and ignited new protests over racial injustice in several cities, coming just three months after the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police touched off a wider reckoning on race.
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Earlier Tuesday, Blake's father spoke alongside other family members and lawyers, telling reporters that police shot his son “seven times, seven times, like he didn't matter."
“But my son matters. He’s a human being and he matters,” said Blake’s father, who is also named Jacob Blake.
The 29-year-old was in surgery Tuesday, said attorney Ben Crump, adding that the bullets severed Blake’s spinal cord and shattered his vertebrae. Another attorney said there was also severe damage to organs.
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“It’s going to take a miracle for Jacob Blake Jr. to ever walk again,” Crump said.
The legal team plans to file a civil lawsuit against the police department over the shooting.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.