Washington, D.C. —Today, Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) issued the following statement in the aftermath of the shooting of Jacob Blake by Kenosha, Wisconsin police officers:

"Yesterday afternoon, in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Jacob Blake was shot seven times in the back from point blank range by the police. His children watched from feet away. I am heartbroken by this tragedy that has been visited upon the Blake family, and I am appalled at the brazenness in which this violence was perpetrated. But above all else, I am angry. I am angry that the system of racism and police brutality that put seven bullets into Mr. Blake is the same that took the lives of George Floyd and Alton Sterling and Breonna Taylor and so many countless others. I am angry that we can come together to say ‘black lives matter’ and yet, we are reminded every day that in the eyes of so many, they do not. And I am angry that the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which seeks to counteract that system by holding police officers accountable and banning violent police practices, passed through the Judiciary Committee and the House two months ago and still, Senate Republicans refuse to lift a finger to save lives. 

"There must be an immediate investigation into the circumstances that led to Mr. Blake’s shooting and there must be justice. I wish to express my deepest condolences to Mr. Blake, his family, and his community—I will keep them in my thoughts as they begin to recover from this senseless act of violence."