Kenosha police scanner audio indicates that police opened fire on 29-year-old Jacob Blake less than five minutes after they were initially contacted.
In cell phone video shared widely on social media, Blake can be seen being followed by two officers with weapons drawn as he opens his car door and leans inside. One of the officers grabs Blake by the back of his shirt, and seven shots can be heard.
Blake remains in serious condition in a Milwaukee hospital.
According to the audio obtained by Madison365, someone called police to report that Blake was at her home and wasn’t supposed to be, and that he had taken her keys and was refusing to give them back. A dispatcher relayed this message to patrol officers at about 5:11 pm Sunday.
About 30 seconds later, she let patrol officers know that there was “an alert at this address for a 99 for this subject,” apparently to indicate that a warrant had been issued for Blake’s arrest. Court records indicate a warrant was issued on three charges — two misdemeanors and one G-class felony — on July 7. Court records indicate no previous criminal charges in the state of Wisconsin.
About a minute after the initial call, the dispatcher indicated that Blake was leaving the premises, and that the woman who had initially called had hung up.
Listen to the police scanner audio:
Just five minutes after the initial call, an officer can be heard reporting shots fired, and the dispatcher acknowledged the report. Additional officers were then dispatched to the scene, with another officer asking responding officers to verify that the officers initially on the scene were ok.
About 40 seconds after the report that shots had been fired, an officer on the scene requests “rescue ASAP,” presumably for Blake. About two minutes after the shots fired call, another officer reported that all officers on the scene are ok.
The state Department of Justice is leading the investigation. Governor Tony Evers and Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes are delivering remarks via online video this afternoon. The remarks are available here and we will have an update on those remarks later this afternoon.
