Donovan Mitchell Is Beside Himself Over Jacob Blake Shooting: ‘This Is Why We Don’t Feel Safe’

Authorities in Wisconsin are investigating a violent incident on Sunday in which police officers shot Jacob Blake, a Black man, several times in the back as he climbed into his vehicle. Many people expressed outrage about the incident and called for justice on social media. This group included Utah Jazz player Donovan Mitchell, who said that “this is why we don’t feel safe.”

“F THE GAMES AND PLAYOFFS!!! THIS IS SICK AND IS A REAL PROBLEM WE DEMAND JUSTICE! ITS CRAZY I DONT HAVE ANY WORDS BUT WTF MAN! THIS IS WHY WE DONT FEEL SAFE!!!!” Mitchell tweeted on Sunday. Several others responded and agreed with the NBA player. They called for the officers to be fired and immediately arrested while Blake remains in critical condition.

NBA players have been kneeling during the national anthem and wearing “Black Lives Matter” shirts during the season restart in Orlando. They have done so to protest police brutality and racial inequality. The players have also put social justice messages on their jerseys, including “How Many More” and “I Can’t Breathe.”

According to CNN, officers were called to the scene about a domestic incident around 5:11 p.m. local time. A man across the street, Raysean White, filmed what he called the middle and the end of the altercation after hearing two women arguing and Blake’s arrival. However, he turned away from the window and then returned to see police wrestling the victim. White said that he did not know what started the argument.

“The police want everybody to know they’re out here to protect and serve, but you guys are constantly giving us — Black people, in particular — reasons not to let you guys protect and serve,” White said to CNN. “We don’t want you guys around because we are scared for our lives. You come to an incident to disarm an argument, and this Black man gets shot. It wasn’t supposed to go down [like] that.”

Following the shooting, the officers rendered aid before Blake was flown to Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee. Both officers are currently on administrative leave, and their identities remain unknown. The Kenosha Police Department says that the officers are cooperating with the investigation.

Attorney Ben Crump, who represents Blake’s family, initially tweeted out a video of the incident on Sunday evening and called for justice. He also said that Blake’s three young sons were in the vehicle when the shooting occurred. He said that they would be “traumatized forever.”