Kenosha Police Shooting Of Jacob Blake 'Excessive Force': Biden

KENOSHA, WI — The Wisconsin Department of Justice has opened an investigation into the video-recorded police shooting that triggered civil unrest Sunday night in Kenosha. The department's criminal investigative division, the lead investigating agency in police shootings, is due to provide an incident report to prosecutors within a month.

Meanwhile, former Vice President Joe Biden issued a statement calling for the officers involved to be held accountable, and Mark Meadows, chief of staff to President Donald Trump, told reporters the president would be briefed on the incident later Monday.

The incident began after Kenosha police were dispatched to the 2800 block of 40th Street for a "reported domestic incident," according to a statement from the Department of Justice.

A 19-second video clip of the encounter appears to show an officer shoot a 29-year-old man in the back several times as he walks away from police and begins to enter the driver's side of an SUV. It had been viewed millions of times on social media within 12 hours of its posting.

The person who was shot was flown to a Milwaukee hospital with multiple gunshot wounds, according to the department.

MORE: 'It Hurts': Neighbors Recount Jacob Blake Kenosha Police Shooting

Crowds that gathered Sunday night in response to the shooting set fire to a car dealership, a vacant wine bar and garbage trucks authorities had parked around the Kenosha County Courthouse. Authorities issued a curfew, and the courthouse was closed Monday, left emblazoned with mostly profane anti-police sentiments.

RELATED: Kenosha Burned After Jacob Blake Police Shooting: Photos

Gov. Tony Evers Sunday identified the man shot by police and said he stood against the excessive and immediate use of force against Black residents, adding that he hoped the man who was shot would survive.

"Tonight, Jacob Blake was shot in the back multiple times, in broad daylight, in Kenosha, Wisconsin," he said in a social media post. "While we do not have all of the details yet, what we know for certain is that he is not the first Black man or person to have been shot or injured or mercilessly killed at the hands of individuals in law enforcement in our state or our country."

Evers said in the coming days he would demand action from elected officials who have "failed to recognize the racism in our state and our country for far too long."

Biden said he and his wife are praying for Blake's recovery and for his children. The Democratic Party nominee for president said in a statement that police shot Blake seven times in the back as he was trying to get into his own car.

"His children watched from inside the car and bystanders watched in disbelief. And this morning, the nation wakes up yet again with grief and outrage that yet another Black American is a victim of excessive force. This calls for an immediate, full and transparent investigation and the officers must be held accountable," Biden said.

"These shots pierce the soul of our nation," he said.

RELATED: Officer-Involved Shooting In Kenosha; Witness Video: Report

The division of criminal investigation will be assisted by the Wisconsin State Patrol and Kenosha County Sheriff's Office. All officers are fully cooperating with the investigation, according to a Department of Justice statement, and the officers involved in the incident have been placed on administrative leave.

Pete Deates, president of the local police union, asked the public not to make judgement about the incident before the investigation is complete.

"Governor Evers' statement on the incident was wholly irresponsible and not reflective of the hardworking members of the law enforcement community, not to mention the citizens of the City of Kenosha," Deates said in a statement. "As always, the video currently circulating does not capture all the intricacies of a highly dynamic incident. We ask that you withhold from passing judgement until all the facts are known and released."