Beyonce is the latest celebrity to send support to Jacob Blake, a black man who was shot multiple times by police in an incident said to have left him paralysed from the waist down.
A lawyer for Mr Blake, 29, said it would “take a miracle” for him to walk again after he was allegedly shot by officers in Wisconsin on Sunday in front of his three children.
The incident was captured on video and reignited the fury over police treatment of black people in the US.
Beyonce, who has frequently voiced her support for victims of police violence, shared a picture of Mr Blake and his three sons and wrote: “Sending prayers and thoughts to Jacob Blake and his family.”
The shooting, three months after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, triggered protests in the Wisconsin city of Kenosha.
Mr Blake’s attorney, Ben Crump, said the bullets severed his client’s spinal cord and shattered his vertebrae.
The officers involved have not been named and the Wisconsin Department of Justice is investigating.
Rapper Cardi B was among the celebrities condemning the shooting. Alongside a video of the incident, she wrote on Instagram: “Wow this is SICKENING ! I can’t believe it ! What’s going to be the excuse now ?
“SOMETHING MUST HAPPEN!”
Singer Demi Lovato urged her followers to contact local politicians to demand action against the police officers involved, adding “there is no need for this type of force”.
Pop star Camila Cabello also called for the officers involved to face action, writing: “We need change, we need these cops ARRESTED, and we need a sign that this government has enough empathy and cares enough about humanity to do something about it.”
And comedian Chelsea Handler said: “Allyship isn’t a social media trend. Black people have been tirelessly fighting for centuries, and whatever little progress you thought we made recently carries no weight when you see what continues to happen to black people.”
Mr Blake’s shooting follows months of unrest over police treatment of black people. After Mr Floyd’s death in May triggered worldwide protests, other cases involving alleged police malpractice resurfaced.
One of the most prominent was that of Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old African American medical worker shot dead by police in Louisville, Kentucky, in March.
Celebrities are among those demanding the officers involved are arrested.
