Jacob Blake out of Hospital and in Rehab Center 6 Weeks After Police Shooting

Jacob Blake has been discharged from the hospital — over a month after he was shot seven times by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Blake's attorney told CNN that he was released from a hospital in Milwaukee, but that he still has a long way to go in recovering from his injuries. So far, few details are available on Blake's condition.

Blake was not able to go home following his prolonged hospital stay. His attorney told CNN that Blake is now "in a spinal injury rehabilitation center in Chicago." The attorney, Patrick Cafferty, added: "I can't provide more details." Cafferty would not clarify when Blake was discharged exactly, nor how long he is expected to remain in physical rehab. A previous statement from civil rights attorney Ben Crump said that it would take a "miracle" for Blake to be able to walk again.

Blake's run-in with Kenosha police was caught on camera by neighbors back in August. At the time, two officers had a firm grasp on Blake, who was walking slowly away from them and trying to get into a car where one of his children was already seated. Rather than handcuffing or otherwise detaining Blake, the police fired seven shots into his back at point-blank range while holding onto his arm.

The attack caused a fresh outburst of protests in Kenosha — a city on the coast of Lake Michigan. Blake himself was unconscious for much of what followed. His father told CNN that when he finally awoke, Blake's first question was why he had been shot so many times. "If we're not talking about laws of reform — immediately reforming some of these police — then really I don't want to speak to you at all," Blake's father told reporters.

Protests over Blake's treatment were part of a long string of Black Lives Matter protests that have persisted since at least May, when Minneapolis, Minnesota, police killed George Floyd. The Kenosha protests were a turning point in these protests, however, as they drew vigilante anti-protesters from out of state, like 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse. Rittenhouse drove over state lines to Kenosha, illegally carrying an AR-15-style assault rifle while underage as part of a militia-style anti-protest group. He allegedly shot and killed two protesters and seriously injured another.

Black Lives Matter protests continue to this day in the U.S., paying homage to victims of police violence including Floyd, Blake, Breonna Taylor and others. According to ACLED Data, there were over 10,600 such marches in the U.S. between Floyd's death and Blake's shooting.