Calling the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha a “horrific event,” Evanston Mayor Stephen Hagerty said that the community is in shock following the incident.
Blake, who played high school football in Evanston and has deep family roots in the area, was shot multiple times on Sunday during a confrontation with police in Kenosha. The shooting, captured on video, shocked the nation and has sparked a wave of protests and unrest in the Wisconsin community.
“Although this horrific event occurred in Kenosha, Jacob Blake has deep roots in Evanston, and his family has long worked to advance civil rights in our city and beyond,” Hagerty said. “Evanston’s collective hearts ache for Jacob and his family, and we are praying for his full and speedy recovery.”
Blake’s uncle confirmed this week that he played high school football in Evanston, a community that has deep ties to the Blake family.
Blake is still hospitalized after the shooting, with family saying that he is currently paralyzed from the waist down after the shooting.
In his statement on the shooting, Hagerty announced that an “outdoor service of lament” will be held Sunday at Ebenezer AME Church in Evanston, where Blake’s grandfather served as a pastor in the late 1960’s and in the 1970’s.
“Although painful, this incident reinforces our city’s commitment to eradicating racism, addressing inequalities and continued professional development of our police officers,” Hagerty said.
