Protests in Wisconsin after video shows police shooting black man in back seven times; victim in 'serious condition'

Kenosha: Neighbours confronted law enforcement at the scene of a police shooting in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Sunday and crowds marched in the streets after a video posted on social media appeared to show officers shoot at a man’s back seven times as he leaned into a vehicle. Kenosha Police said a person was hospitalized in serious condition following a shooting by officers about 5 pm as police were responding to a “domestic incident,” the Kenosha Police Department said in a news release. Police did not provide details about what led to the shooting but said the person was transported to a hospital in Milwaukee for treatment. In the video posted on social media that appeared to show the shooting from across a street, three officers could be seen shouting and pointing their weapons at the man, who appeared to be Black, as he walked around the front of an SUV parked on the street. As the man opened the driver’s side door and leaned inside, one officer grabbed his shirt from behind and then fired into the vehicle. Seven shots could be heard on the video, though it was unclear if more than one officer fired. Following the shooting, social media posts showed neighbours gathering in the surrounding streets and hurling comments at police. Some could be heard chanting, “No justice, no peace.” Later Sunday, marchers appeared to be headed to protest outside the police station, which authorities had mostly blocked off. Outside the station, protesters faced off with officers who wore plastic facemasks and held batons that they occasionally used to push people back. Kenosha Police referred all questions to the Wisconsin Department of Justice, which did not immediately respond to messages seeking to confirm details of the shooting video. The Kenosha Sheriff’s Department and Wisconsin State Patrol were requested at the scene so another law enforcement agency could take over, police said in the news release. The city of Kenosha is located on Lake Michigan, about 40 miles (64.37 kilometres) south of Milwaukee. A Kenosha Police Department dispatcher referred calls by The Associated Press to the Wisconsin Department of Justice, the agency that will be investigating the shooting. A message left with DOJ was not immediately returned.