Jacob Blake Reportedly 'Handcuffed' to Hospital Bed Following Police Shooting That Left Him Paralyzed

Jacob Blake is reportedly "handcuffed" to his hospital bed, following the police shooting that left him paralyzed. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Blake's father — also named Jacob Blake — was quoted as speaking visiting his son in the hospital and saying, "I hate it that he was laying in that bed with the handcuff onto the bed. He can't go anywhere. Why do you have him cuffed to the bed?"

Blake was reportedly surprised to see his father for the visit. "I told him, 'You thought Daddy wasn't going to see my son?'" his father said. "He grabbed my hand, held it real tight and started weeping, telling me how much he loved me." The elder Blake went on to share that no one has clarified for the family what crime his son was being handcuffed over. Notably, The Chicago Sun Times reported that neither the Kenosha Police Department, the Kenosha County District Attorney's Office, nor the Wisconsin Department of Justice immediately responded to requests for information on an arrest or charges for Blake.

I just spoke to #JacobBlake Sr. - his son is conscious. His first question after he woke up was "Daddy, why did they shoot me so many times?" He wept to his father. He has restraints on even though he can't move his legs.

— Andrew Yang🧢🇺🇸 (@AndrewYang) August 27, 2020

The shooting happened on Sunday in Kenosha, with bystanders capturing it on camera. Blake — a Black man — is seen approaching his vehicle with two police officers following behind him. Both have their guns drawn and pointed at Blake. As he attempted to enter his SUV, one of the officers grabbed Blake's shirt and then eventually opened fire. Blake was shot seven times in the back and had to be rushed to a nearby hospital. Doctors have said that he is paralyzed from the waist down

No explanation has been provided for why the officers were pursuing Blake, but witnesses have said that he had been trying to break up a fight when they first arrived. It has been reported that authorities discovered a knife in Blake's car, after the shooting, but there does not appear to be evidence that he had a weapon on him when he was shot. While only one of the officers fired on Blake, both officers have been placed on administrative leave, pending an investigation by the Wisconsin Department of Justice.