Jacob Blake, who remains hospitalized after sustaining multiple injuries, is now handcuffed to his bed, his family said.
Blake’s uncle told CNN on Thursday that Blake’s father visited the Wauwatosa, Wisconsin hospital where his son is recovering from at least one surgery. He was “heartbroken” to see that his son was handcuffed.
“This is an insult to injury,” Justin Blake, the uncle of the victim, said. “He is paralyzed and can’t walk and they have him cuffed to the bed. Why?”
Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, has spent several days in the hospital. A Kenosha police officer shot him seven times in the back on Sunday while trying to detain him, state investigators said.
Kenosha police and sheriff’s department, as well as the district attorney’s office, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. CNN has reached out to the Blake family’s attorneys.
A spokesperson with the Froedtert Hospital, where Blake is being treated, deferred CNN’s questions to the Wisconsin Department of Justice.
Andrew Yang, a former Democratic presidential candidate and CNN contributor, said Thursday that he spoke with Blake’s father. He told Yang that he’s glad to see that his son is awake, but is angry that he’s restrained.
“His father actually used the words ‘chains.’ He said my son is chained up,” Yang told CNN’s Erin Burnett.
When speaking to his father for the first time since the shooting, Yang said that Blake asked why was he shot so many times.
“When asked what message I could share on his family’s behalf, #JacobBlake Sr. said to me, ‘Tell them my son is a human being,'” Yang tweeted about his conversation with Blake’s father.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers said in a news conference that he “couldn’t imagine” why Blake was handcuffed.
“I would have no personal understanding why that would be necessary,” Evers said, answering a reporter’s question.
“I would hope that we would be able to find a more, a better way to help him … in recovering. That seems counterintuitive. It seems to be bad medicine.”
The shooting has spurred nightly protests, and a wildcat strike across the sports world. On Wednesday, the Wisconsin law enforcement officials leading the investigation finally offered their first version of events, leaving gaping holes in its timeline.
Local officials have not discussed many details about Blake’s shooting but continue addressing the nightly protests in Kenosha, especially after two people at a protest were killed and a third was seriously injured this week.
A 17-year-old was arrested Wednesday and is facing multiple charges murder charges involving several people for his alleged role in a shooting incident, authorities said.
On Thursday afternoon, an all-White group of local officials held a press conference to praise peaceful protesters and discuss the law enforcement response to prevent rioting in the city.
“Last night was very peaceful,” Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth said. “Tuesday night — not quite so peaceful, but it wasn’t too bad. Monday night was our big night. Hopefully, we’re over that hump of what we have to face.”
After speaking, the Kenosha mayor, Kenosha County executive, Kenosha police chief, Kenosha County sheriff, and Wisconsin National Guard’s adjutant general all declined to take questions.