Jacob Blake leaves hospital 6 weeks after police shooting
Jacob Blake has been moved to a spinal rehabilitation center from a Milwaukee hospital, his attorney, Patrick Cafferty, confirmed to CBS News. Blake, 29, was shot in the back seven times by Kenosha police officer Rusten Sheskey on August 23.
Cafferty said the 29-year-old "is in a spinal injury rehabilitation center in Chicago," and that he was unable to provide more details, including what day Blake left the hospital or how long he will remain in the rehabilitation center.
The bullets from the shooting damaged Blake's stomach, kidney, liver, colon and small intestine, his attorney, Patrick Salvi, said last month. After Blake was transported to the hospital, his legal counsel said he was paralyzed from the waist down.
The news of Blake's shooting, accompanied by video footage of the altercation, threw Kenosha into a state of unrest in August. Protestors reacting to the news flooded the streets, sparking boycotts and marches, including the deaths of two protestors. Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, was charged with homicide.
Police also received pushback at the news that Blake was handcuffed to his hospital bed at the beginning of his stay. According to the Milwaukee Sheriff's Office, the restraints were due to Blake's former felony warrants, which require restraints while in custody, according to department policy. On August 28, police said the handcuffs were removed after Blake posted bond.
Last month, Blake shared a video message from his hospital bed, which was released by civil rights attorney Ben Crump on Twitter. "Your life, and not only just your life, your legs, something you need to move around and forward in life, can be taken from you like this," said Blake. "Stick together, make some money, make everything easier for our people out there, man, because there's so much time that's been wasted."
Blake's shooting is still being investigated by the Wisconsin Department of Justice.