Alleged right-wing militaman opens fire at Jacob Blake protest, killing two. Police roll right past him
Furious protests over the police shooting of Jacob Blake continued to rage for a third night on Tuesday evening — and around midnight, they turned deadly. After jackbooted riot cops forced the main body of protesters away from the courthouse with a vicious barrage of tear gas and rubber bullets, some protesters began heading towards a nearby gas station, where a confrontation occurred.
A young man who is believed to be a right-wing militia member allegedly “protecting the property” opened fire with an AR-15 rifle, killing two people and wounding one more. It is unclear what happened to spark the first shooting, but video clearly shows the man running away from the scene of the crime as protesters chase him, yelling “HE SHOT SOMEONE.” The shooter trips and falls and is leapt upon by a protester, who the shooter fires upon.
CONTENT WARNING: GRAPHIC VIDEO
https://twitter.com/anoncatanoncat/status/1298483287250415621?s=20
Much clearer images of Kyle on the ground. At this point he had already admitted to shooting someone (in the head) next to all those cars. People were trying to subdue a gunmen that had already shot people. pic.twitter.com/5K4HXrSLda
— Garrison Davis (Teargas Proof) (@hungrybowtie) August 26, 2020
TW
These are the types of people Trump has emboldened: a member of a white supremacist militia called Boogaloo boys shoots people protesting against police brutality in Kenosha, Wisconsin.One of the core beliefs of boogaloo boys is that a new civil war is imminent in America. pic.twitter.com/3oiV7f8dYx
— Admirim (@admirim) August 26, 2020
Unconfirmed reports indicate the shooter is a man named Kyle Rittenhouse, who also goes by Kyle Lewis on social media. His Facebook page is filled with “Back the Blue” pro-cop propaganda.
I have three ways to identify the Kenosha Shooter who has killed two people
Kyle Rittenhouse/Kyle Lewis pic.twitter.com/GoIZsJmUk3
— Garrison Davis (Teargas Proof) (@hungrybowtie) August 26, 2020
https://twitter.com/tariqnasheed/status/1298548721152491521?s=20
Stunningly, there have been no arrests made in the killings. The videos show the shooter firing upon protestors and then literally walking towards the police right afterward, clearly holding a rifle — and they just roll right by him.
Sign the petition to tell Congress to stop Trump’s sabotage of the post office!
2 dead, 1 injured overnight after armed vigilantes showed up in Kenosha, WI. This @sarasidnerCNN live hit about the shooting is STUNNING.
"He has his long gun strapped across his chest … he walks up to police officers … and literally 3 officers … rolled right past him." pic.twitter.com/24IIZXD7OI
— The Recount (@therecount) August 26, 2020
Other videos suggest a disturbing amount of coordination and support between the police and the right-wing protesters; some videos show the police distributing water to the militiamen while another shows an armed white man describes how the police told them that they were going to deliberately herd the protesters towards the militiamen, seemingly in hopes of provoking violence against the protesters that the police clearly feel nothing but contempt for.
Here is your shooter being offered and tossed a bottled water out of a LEO vehicle. “We appreciate you guys being out here.” pic.twitter.com/63NtIOcdK2
— Nap Lajoie (@randomanne) August 26, 2020
“The cops said we’re gonna push them (the protestors) down by you ‘cause you can deal with them. Then we’re gonna leave.”
— Lauren Hough (@laurenthehough) August 26, 2020
Police are apparently “searching” for the shooter as of yet, but they appear to have deliberately let him walk away when he had the chance.
It is terrifying to consider, but this feels like it is only the beginning of something much, much darker. It was only a matter of time before violence broke out between Black Lives Matter protesters and the right-wing defenders of white supremacy, especially after two months of right-wing media machine fearmongering about the lawless anarchists of “antifa” and a Republican National Convention which just gave a platform to the two psychos who pointed guns at protesters and turned them into heroes.
One can complain and fret about the optics and political vIaBilIty of movements to defund police organizations but at some point we have to accept that the all over the country, police are working with right-wing militia groups and providing cover for the violence that they inflict on American citizens expressing their right to protest — and we must ask ourselves if this is something we are fundamentally okay with.
