Jacob Blake speaks out for first time since police shooting

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Jacob Blake has spoken publicly for the first time since a Kenosha, Wisconsin, police officer shot him seven times in the back.

In a brief video posted Saturday night on Twitter by his family’s lawyer, Ben Crump, Blake says from his hospital bed that he’s in constant pain from the shooting, which doctors fear will leave him paralyzed from the waist down.

He says, “Twenty-four hours, every 24 hours it’s pain, nothing but pain. It hurts to breathe, it hurts to sleep, it hurts to move from side-to-side, it hurts to eat.”

The Aug. 23 shooting of Blake, who is Black and was shot by a white officer, was captured on cellphone video and sparked several nights of protests.

#JacobBlake released this powerful video message from his hospital bed today, reminding everyone just how precious life is. #JusticeForJacobBlake pic.twitter.com/87CYlgPDBj

— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) September 6, 2020