Two people have been killed and one injured during a third night of unrest in the US city of Kenosha, sparked by the police shooting of a black man.
Police in riot gear are seen through the iron fence protecting the County Courthouse during demonstrations against the shooting of Jacob Blake Photo: AFP
Police said three people were shot, but gave no details about who was involved.
Local media reports earlier said the violence was believed to have stemmed from a conflict between protesters and armed men guarding a gas station.
Unrest broke out in Kenosha after Jacob Blake was shot by police on Sunday.
People have since defied emergency curfews in the city to join protests, which at times have turned violent.
In their statement, Kenosha Police said officials responded to "reports of shots being fired and multiple gunshot victims" in the city just before midnight on Tuesday (local time).
"The shooting resulted in two fatalities and a third gunshot victim was transported to a hospital with serious, but non-life threatening injuries," the statement said.
It added that the identities of the victims were still being determined and that no further details would be given at this time. An investigation has been opened.
Footage shared online showed a man with a rifle being chased by a crowd before he fell to the ground and appeared to fire multiple rounds into the crowd. Other video shows armed civilians, many dressed in military fatigues, congregating outside businesses they said they were protecting.
Footage also shows people running through the streets as gunshots ring out, and wounded men on the ground.
The governor of Wisconsin said on Tuesday he was sending more National Guard troops to the city amid the unrest.
How have the protests unfolded?
Within hours of Blake's shooting, hundreds of people had marched on Kenosha's police headquarters. Cars were later set alight, and police urged 24-hour businesses to consider closing because of "numerous" calls about armed robberies and shots being fired.
On Monday (local time), Governor Evers called up the National Guard to aid local police and imposed a night-time curfew on Kenosha. Police backed up by the National Guard used tear gas, rubber bullets and smoke bombs, protesters said. Some demonstrators were seen attacking cars and property with baseball bats, news agency Reuters reported.
On Tuesday (local time) hundreds of protesters marched through the city. A small group threw fireworks and water bottles at police, who responded with rubber bullets and tear gas.
Protests have also spread to a number of other cities, including Portland, Oregon and Minneapolis, Minnesota.
What's the latest with Jacob Blake?
Lawyer Ben Crump told a press conference on Tuesday that doctors said Blake had been paralysed by the shooting.
"His family believe in miracles, but the medical diagnosis right now is that he is paralysed and, because those bullets severed his spinal cord and shattered some of his vertebrae, it is going to take a miracle for Jacob Blake Jr to ever walk again," he said.
Jacob Blake, Sr., father of Jacob Blake. Jr., speaks during a press conference Photo: AFP
The 29-year-old, shot as his young sons sat in the car, was also left with holes in his stomach, an arm injury and damage to his kidney and liver. Most of his colon and small intestine had to be removed, his lawyers told reporters.
What we know about Jacob Blake's shooting
His mother Julia Jackson told the press conference her son had been "fighting for his life", but said if he "knew what was going on as far as that goes, the violence and the destruction, he would be very unpleased".
Buildings and cars have been left damaged following protests over the shooting in the city of about 100,000 on the south-western shore of Lake Michigan.
On Tuesday, Governor Tony Evers said he would send more National Guard troops to Kenosha to protect state buildings and support first responders and firefighters. A state of emergency has also been declared in Wisconsin, as protesters clashed with police for a third night.
Blake's shooting comes as the US grapples with the treatment of African-Americans at the hands of law enforcement, as well as wider questions about racism in society, since the death in police custody in Minneapolis of another black man, George Floyd, in May.
In her speech, Jackson addressed racism directly and called for "healing".
"Do you understand what is going to happen when we fall - because a house that is against each other cannot stand."
What do we know about the shooting?
Police say they were responding to a domestic incident when they went to the site of Sunday's shooting but have given few other details. So far it is unclear who called the police, how many officers were involved, and what happened before the shooting.
Protesters march near the Minneapolis 1st Police precinct during a demonstration against police brutality and racism on August 24, 2020. Photo: Kerem Yucel / AFP
Footage of the incident show Blake opening the door and leaning into the car, at which point one officer grabs his shirt and opens fire. Seven shots can be heard in the video, as witnesses shout and scream.
Blake's fiancée Laquisha Booker said the children - who witnessed everything as they sat in the back of the car - were screaming as their father was shot.
Lawyers for Blake said he had been trying to "de-escalate a domestic incident". Witnesses said the same to local media.
Court records show there was an open arrest warrant against Mr Blake on sexual assault and domestic abuse charges but police have not said if officers were aware of this when they responded to the call on Sunday.
Wisconsin's Department of Justice is investigating the incident in Kenosha, while the officers involved have been placed on administrative leave. A petition calling for them to be charged has garnered tens of thousands of signatures.
Blake's father has said he does not have confidence in the investigation.
"Anybody that is white, that is doing an investigation about a black young man that was shot seven times in his back, and haven't come up with an answer or a comment at this point, is not welcome," he told reporters.
- BBC
