Sen. Lindsey Graham wants to know why Jacob Blake “didn’t yield when he was asked to yield” to a Kenosha, Wisconsin, police officer, Politico reports.
Blake was shot by a police officer seven times in the back, according to a cell phone video of the incident. An investigation of the shooting is underway.
During a press conference announcing the endorsement of the South Carolina Fraternal Order of Police, an organization that supports law enforcement officers, a reporter asked the Republican lawmaker about the officer involved shooting of a Black man. The reporter asked Graham whether the shooting suggests that after months of calls to end systemic racism and police brutality, demonstrators' pleas are still not being heard.
“I don't know what happened there. Let's find out. It's dangerous being a cop,” Graham said. “I don't know why the gentleman didn't yield when he was asked to yield. I don't know what the facts are.”
According to cell phone video that captured the encounter between Blake and the police officer, Blake leans into a vehicle before being shot. It is unclear from the audio whether police officers asked Blake to yield. His three children were in the car, according to Politico.
Blake’s father told the Chicago Sun-Times that his son has “eight holes” in his body and is paralyzed him from the waist down.
The shooting sparked a new round of protests against police brutality. Wisconsin’s governor declared a state of emergency Tuesday after some protesters vandalized buildings, according to Politico.
Protests began after George Floyd, a Black man, was killed by a white police officer in Minneapolis on Memorial Day.
Graham’s comments on the Blake shooting come as he is fighting for re-election. During the press conference, Graham called on his opponent Jamie Harrison to return donations he received from the organization MoveOn.org, which supports a divest-invest model to redirect funds from police departments to municipal services and community programs, Politico reports.
Harrison has denied that he is in favor of defunding the police. Graham has said he supports police reform measures, according to Politico.
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