Blake family attorney calls for officer who shot Jacob Blake to be arrested

Blake Family Attorney Ben Crump, second from left, speaks during a press conference in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on August 25. CNN

Blake Family Attorney Ben Crump called for prosecutors to arrest the officer who shot Jacob Blake.

When asked why police violence keeps happening, Crump said it is because of "deliberate indifference."

"People question why we have to say 'Black Lives Matter' –– this is why. Because Julia and Jacob Sr.'s son was not treated with the humanity that we often give our white brothers and sisters. And it has to stop, and it has to stop at the highest levels of our government," he said.

He called for police, prosecutors and judges to take action to stop incidents like this from happening. He pointed to other examples such as the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, adding, "we cannot turn a blind eye to the deliberate indifference."

Blake family attorney Patrick Salvi speaks during a press conference in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on August 25. CNN

Blake family attorney Patrick Salvi detailed the injuries that he said Jacob Blake suffered after being shot multiple times by Kenosha police.

"He suffered damage to his kidney and liver," he added. "And was also shot in the arm."

He said while he is in surgery right now, "it is not going to be his last surgery."

Earlier today CNN reported that Blake is currently paralyzed from the waist down.

Attorney Ben Crump said that "it is going to take a miracle" for Blake to walk again.

Salvi said that the family will file a civil lawsuit.

Julia Jackson, Jacob Blake's mother, speaks during a press conference in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on August 25. CNN

The parents of Jacob Blake, the man who was shot in the back by a police officer on Sunday as he tried to enter an SUV, called for healing and condemned violent protests.

Julia Jackson, Blake's mother, asked the people of Wisconsin to "take a moment and examine your hearts."

"As I was riding through here, through this city, I noticed a lot of damage that doesn't reflect my son or my family," Jackson said at a news conference Tuesday. "If Jacob knew what was going on as far as that goes, the violence and the destruction, he would be very unpleased."

Blake's father, Jacob Blake Sr., thanked everyone for the support.

"I like to thank everyone for coming out in support of my son with this senseless attempted murder that was committed on him. They shot my son seven times, seven times. Like he didn't matter. But my son matters. He's a human being, and he matters," he said.

Watch:

Protesters clash with Kenosha County Sherriff's officers in front of the County Court House during demonstrations against the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin on August 24. Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP/Getty Images

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers declared a State of Emergency, according to a statement from his office Tuesday. 

“Following protests on Monday night, Gov. Evers today announced he is authorizing increased Wisconsin National Guard support for Kenosha County to 250 members and will continue to adjust to meet local needs,” the statement read.

Evers said in an earlier statement today that the move to increase National Guard presence was to “ensure individuals can exercise their right safely, protect state buildings and critical infrastructure, and support first responders and fire fighters."

Evers also called on protesters to protest peacefully and safely.

"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," the statement said.

Kenosha County, Wisconsin, has officially declared a new curfew starting tonight at 8 p.m. CT.

The sheriff's department issued a statement saying the curfew will be in effect east of Interstate 94 until 7 a.m. on Wednesday. It also told people to stay off the streets for their own safety.

Some background: Buildings and cars in Kenosha were set on fire last night during protests reignited by the police shooting of 29-year-old Jacob Blake.

Enraged demonstrators poured onto the streets after video of the shooting began circulating on social media, showing an officer grabbing on to the man's tank top. Seven shots are heard, followed by the sustained sound of a car horn.

Read the statement:

Wendell Harris, the president of the Wisconsin branch of the NAACP, speaks during an interview on August 25. CNN

Wendell Harris, the president of the Wisconsin branch of the NAACP, says there needs to be a thorough investigation into the shooting of Jacob Blake.

Harris said he has confidence in state officials and that the NAACP will be at the table to push for policy changes.

"We now have a governor in Wisconsin who has called for a special session on police accountability. A governor that has clearly shown that he and his administration is about all the people in Wisconsin being treated with respect and dignity, unlike his predecessor," he added.

In response to protests in the city, Harris said that while the NAACP doesn't condone violence, it supports the fight for justice.

"I support the young people's right to protest. I don't want anyone to get the impression that the NAACP don't want to see the protests, because I'll be the first one out fighting with them if anyone tries to take away that right," Harris said.

"This is about us coming together as a nation and respecting each other as people and that's what we're fighting for and that's what we're going to continue to fight for," he added.

Raysean White took video of the moment Jacob Blake was shot by police on Sunday in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The footage has been viewed millions of times,

"It's disturbing to actually look out the window where I live and see this man get shot by the police seven times," White told CNN on Monday. "It's highly disturbing to me, but I'm pretty sure Jacob's kids were more traumatized than anybody during the whole situation."

Kenosha officers were called to a domestic incident about 5:11 p.m. local time on Sunday, police said. The shooting unfolded on a residential street packed with apartment buildings.

Here's what White said happened next: White said he saw Blake get out of a truck and approach his son, who was on the lawn. Blake told his son to get into the truck while Blake walked into the apartment building behind a woman who was outside.

After stepping away and coming back, White said the scene drastically changed. Police were wrestling with Blake.

"One of them had him in a headlock and was punching him in his ribs, the other had him in a headlock on the other side of him and was pulling his arm," White told CNN.

"After they punched him in his rib, the female officer tased him and Jacob kind of leaned on the car and they proceeded to wrestle him toward the back of the car and he went to the other side of the car. When they were on the other side of the car on the ground, I had to pick up my camera and start recording."

And that's where the video starts: The clip shows a Black man walking around the front of a gray SUV with two officers a step or two behind him, one with his weapon trained on the man's back. As the Black man enters the driver side door of his car, the nearest officer grabs the tail of his tank top and seven shots are heard.

The man entering the car appears to go limp. A sustained car horn blares. A woman nearby jumps up and down, apparently in anguish.

"The officer that shot him, he got on his knees," White told CNN. "He was trying to help him. He put his blue gloves on. Backup came. The other officers tried to help him."

Attorney Ben Crump, who is representing the family of Jacob Blake, confirmed that the 29-year-old dad is paralyzed from the waist down following the Sunday shooting.

"Praying it's not permanent," he tweeted moments ago.

Blake was shot in the back by a police officer on Sunday as he tried to enter an SUV. His three young children were in the car when he was shot, Crump said.

Civil rights nonprofit group Southern Poverty Law Center is calling for an “immediate and transparent” investigation into Jacob Blake’s shooting.

The group also wants an investigation into the death of Trayford Pellerin, a 31-year-old Black man who was fatally shot Friday night during an encounter with officers in Louisiana.