Suspect Arrested in Kenosha Double Homicide, Trump Sending Nat Guard to Restore 'Law and Order'

A white teenager was arrested Wednesday in connection with the killing of two people in Kenosha, Wisconsin during a night of protests over the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a black man who was shot seven times this week by a white police officer as his children looked on. A third person was wounded in the attack. 

Antioch, Illinois police announced a 17-year-old juvenile was taken into custody on suspicion of first-degree intentional homicide. Antioch is about 15 miles from Kenosha. The shooting caught on cellphone video was carried out by a young white man who opened fire in the middle of the street with a semi-automatic rifle

President Trump also announced on Twitter that he's sending the National Guard to Wisconsin, writing: ..TODAY, I will be sending federal law enforcement and the National Guard to Kenosha, WI to restore LAW and ORDER!

In a follow-up tweet, Trump also wrote, "We will NOT stand for looting, arson, violence, and lawlessness on American streets. My team just got off the phone with Governor Evers who agreed to accept federal assistance (Portland should do the same!)."

...TODAY, I will be sending federal law enforcement and the National Guard to Kenosha, WI to restore LAW and ORDER!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 26, 2020

The New York Times reports that shots rang out just before midnight near a gas station in Kenosha. Three people were struck. One person died after being shot in the head and another died after being shot in the chest. The third victim did not sustain life-threatening injuries. Police said the investigation is focused on determining if the shooting resulted from a confrontation between demonstrators and armed men protecting local businesses.

Kenosha police are looking for a man armed with a long gun, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.

"I feel very confident we’ll have him in a very short time,” Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth said.

The incident came on the third night of protests against Blake’s shooting. Some of the demonstrations devolved into violent unrest. Police fired tear gas to disperse protesters who had gathered outside of Kenosha’s courthouse Tuesday night. Some threw water bottles and fireworks at officers.

Police used armored vehicles and officers with shields to disperse a crowd of protesters who ignored warnings to leave a local park.

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers declared a state of emergency Tuesday.

“We cannot allow the cycle of systemic racism and injustice to continue,” said Evers. “We also cannot continue going down this path of damage and destruction.”

During previous nights, violent demonstrators destroyed dozens of buildings and set more than 30 fires in the city.

Blake’s mother, Julie Jackson, told reporters on Tuesday that she opposes the violent unrest. “I’ve noticed a lot of damage,” she said. “It doesn’t reflect my son or my family.”

Jackson said Blake is conscious in the hospital but paralyzed. His family’s attorney said it would “take a miracle” for him to walk again. The attorney called for the officer who shot Blake to be arrested and for the others involved to lose their jobs.

The officer’s bullets severed Blake’s spinal cord, shattered his vertebrae, and caused severe damage to his internal organs, Blake’s attorneys said.

Footage of the officer-involved shooting shows Blake walking from the sidewalk to the front of his SUV as officers shouted at him and had their guns trained on him. Blake opens the driver-side-door and leans in the car while an officer grabs his shirt and opens fire. Seven shots can be heard.

Blake’s father told the Chicago Sun-Times that his son had eight holes in his body.

The man who recorded the incident, Raysean White, said he saw Blake scuffling with three officers and heard them yell, “Drop the knife” before gunfire erupted. White said he did not see a knife in Blake’s hands.

The incident comes just three months after the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers.