Harrowing footage captured the moment a looter knocked out an elderly worker as he tried to defend his store amid the on-going Kenosha riots, as a pizza store employee was filmed elsewhere in the city pleading with rioters to stop, asking ‘Are you trying to get Trump re-elected?’
Businesses and other institutions in the Wisconsin city have been left decimated and destroyed following three consecutive nights of rioting and looting spurred by the Sunday police shooting of unarmed black man, Jacob Blake, who has been left paralyzed.
On Monday night, an elderly worker of Sue and Keith’s Magical Mattress Store, identified as Mr. Robert who is in his 70s, was filmed being callously knocked-out cold by one protester as he attempted to stop a fire in the store that was started by looters.
The following evening, on Tuesday, a worker at a Papa John’s Pizza chain in the city center was seen remonstrating with protesters through a shattered window of the eatery, urging them to stop the vandalism because ‘I’ve got kids to feed’.
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On Monday night, an elderly worker of Sue and Keith’s Magical Mattress Store, identified as Mr. Robert, was filmed being callously knocked-out cold by one protester as he attempted to stop a fire in the store that was started by looters.
The following evening, on Tuesday, a worker at a Papa John’s Pizza chain in the city center was seen remonstrating with protesters through a shattered window of the eatery, urging them to stop the looting because ‘I’ve got kids to feed’
In footage of the first of the two incidents, Robert is seen emerging from the smoke-filled store front in pursuit of a group of rioters with a fire extinguisher in his hand.
He begins blasting the extinguisher at the looters as they exit another entrance of the store, one of whom launches a glass bottle towards the elderly worker.
Robert continues spraying foam in the direction of the door to douse looters as they run out from the store, when suddenly a man, dressed in all black, runs into frame and sucker punches Robert in the face as he’s looking in the other direction.
Robert is immediately knocked from his feet, crashing back into the door frame before landing face first on the ground.
A woman recording the footage can be heard desperately screaming ‘no’ as she, and a number of other bystanders, race to his aid.
Motionless on the floor, Robert suffered a laceration to his face from the sickening blow, and is seen bleeding profusely from just underneath his right eye and nose
The footage the cuts to Robert sitting upright and conscious as a group of bystanders rally around him, propping him up and applying pressure to his nose.
While Robert remains silent and appears to be dazed, the woman recording can be heard pleading with protesters that ‘this is wrong’.
In footage of the first of the two incidents, Robert is seen emerging from the smoke-filled store front in pursuit of a group of rioters with a fire extinguisher in his hand
He begins blasting the extinguisher at the looters as they exit another entrance of the store, one of whom launches a glass bottle towards the elderly worker.
Robert continues spraying foam in the direction of the door to douse looters as they run out from the store, when suddenly a man, dressed in all black, runs into frame and sucker punches Robert in the face as he’s looking in the other direction
Robert was taken to hospital shortly after the video concluded. Owners of the mattress store, Pamela Moniz and her husband, Keith McCoy revealed to FOX6 that Robert suffered a broken as well as lacerations to his head
‘This is going to happen to every single one of you when this goes nationwide,’ she says, the emotion palpable in her voice. ‘I don’t think you realize this. Please [stop] guys.’
The gathered protesters respond to the women’s cries that they are scared for their own lives, as black people in America today.
Robert was taken to hospital shortly after the video concluded. Owners of the mattress store, Pamela Moniz and her husband, Keith McCoy revealed to FOX6 that Robert suffered a broken as well as lacerations to his head.
The couple say Robert will need further surgeries to treat his injuries. The store, meanwhile, was completely destroyed alongside all of its inventory.
In a GoFundMe page set up to help the owners open a new branch elsewhere in the city, organizer Yvonne Rich wrote of the owners and Robert: ‘I have seen these three folks help neighborhood people for years with money, food, mattresses when no one could afford to pay. They have served the Kenosha community selflessly and so didn’t deserve this horrible attack.’
‘I can’t wrap my head around the scene right now,’ said Pamela Moniz said. ‘I don’t think anyone from Kenosha was responsible for this.’
The store, meanwhile, was completely destroyed alongside all of its inventory
The following evening elsewhere in the city, a worker of a Papa John’s Pizza chain on University Avenue was filmed by resident Dylan Brogan remonstrating with protesters through a shattered window of the restaurant’s shop-front.
‘Are you trying to get Trump re-elected, seriously?’ he shouts out into the street of the ongoing vandalism and looting in the city. ‘I’ve got a family to support. I’ve got f***ing kids to feed,’ he continues passionately.
One protester attempts to assure the man that the looters don’t represent the true intentions of the Black Lives Matter movement.
‘Well, I’m sorry,’ he responds, ‘but they’re with you.’
Several other business were destroyed or vandalized in the city on Tuesday night, as tensions boiled over between rioters and police for a third consecutive night.
Much of the destruction happened along 60th Street, close to the Department of Corrections building on 13th Avenue.
The DOC building itself was set ablaze Monday, with crew working to demolish the remains of the building the following morning.
Neighboring business also caught fire, including the B&L Furniture store, which was targeted by rioters on Monday night, TMJ4 reported.
‘It’s just all gone,’ Linda Carpenter, whose family have owned the store for more than four decades, told the network as she cried into the arms of her son, Scott.
‘My next job is to clean this up and then after that, I don’t have a job,’ Carpenter’s son added.
Several car dealerships were destroyed in the area and local businesses were broken into, cleaned out and vandalized.
A worker of a Papa John’s Pizza chain on University Avenue was filmed by resident Dylan Brogan remonstrating against protesters through a shattered window of the restaurant’s shop-front.
Elsewhere, a protester was seen pointing a gun at a reporter during an interview as a crowd marched through the streets
Across Tuesday night and into early Wednesday, two people were killed and a third was wounded, when a gunman opened fire on protesters amid a clash with a militia who were guarding a gas station.
One victim was shot in the head and another was shot in the chest at about 11.45pm, according to Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth. Footage from the scene showed another man was shot in the arm and police later said his injuries were not believed to be life threatening.
Authorities said early Wednesday no one had been taken into custody despite footage from the scene showing the gunman, who had his semi-automatic rifle slung across his body, walking up to police with his hands in the air immediately after the shootings.
Cellphone video posted online shows that the ordeal unfolded after one man was shot in the head outside an auto garage. It is not yet clear what happened in the lead up to the initial shooting.
The videos showed the gunman running away in the moments after the gunshots rang out and he could be heard saying: ‘I’ve just killed somebody’.
As the crowd scattered, the shooter stood up and continued walking down the street as police cars arrived
One pursuer took a flying kick at the armed man after he fell to the ground following a pursuit in the streets of Kenosha
The man, who still had his gun slung across him, put up his hands and walked toward the squad cars as someone yelled at police that the man just shot someone. Despite appearing to hand himself in, police said early Wednesday they were still looking for the gunman
Onlookers were filmed desperately trying to put pressure on the injured man’s head wound with a t-shirt as they yelled: ‘We’ve got to keep him alive’.
‘Put pressure, put pressure,’ one person said, while another yelled: ‘You’ve got to keep him alive.’
Separate videos that captured the other two shootings showed a group of protesters tailing the gunman as he ran down the middle of the street. Someone in the crowd can be heard asking ‘What did he do?’ and another responds that the man had shot someone.
Elsewhere, a protester was seen pointing a gun at a reporter during an interview as a crowd marched through the streets.
Elijah Schaffer said he was interviewing the unidentified man when he pulled out a pistol from his waistband and pointed it at his camera, showing him what he would do ‘if cops rolled up on us right now’.
‘It’s been a while since I had a gun pointed at me, even if it was just to make a point,’ Schaffer tweeted.