Rioting and looting erupted in the wake of the shooting as the County of Kenosha declared a state of emergency and a curfew been put into effect by authorities.

Jacob Blake, 29, was rushed to hospital following the shooting in Kenosha that prompted neighbours and crowds to gather and confront officers at the scene on Sunday night.

Early Monday, August 24, 2020, family members posted on social media that Blake was in a stable condition at the ICU in Froedtert Hospital, Milwaukee.

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers issued a statement denouncing 'excessive use of force' by police.

Viral video, protests

As video of the shooting quickly went viral, protesters took to the streets of Kenosha, where police are on high alert.

According to Daily Mail, video obtained from TMX.News shows a large crowd numbering hundreds of protesters gathered outside a Kenosha police station chanting 'Black Lives Matter' and other slogans denouncing law enforcement.

Demonstrators set fire to vehicles and smashed police cruiser windows as they faced off with police, who set off tear gas canisters to try to disperse the crowd.

A video of the incident shows Jacob Blake shot in the back from close range by a white police officer on August 23, 2020.

At least 7 shots fired

The shooting happened at around 5:00pm Sunday as officers were responding to a 'domestic incident,' the Kenosha Police Department said in a news release.

In a video posted on social media Sunday that appeared to show the shooting from across the street, three officers could be seen shouting and pointing their weapons at Blake, who walked around the front of an SUV parked on the street.

As Blake opened the driver's side door and leaned inside, one officer grabbed his shirt from behind and then fired into the vehicle.

At least seven shots could be heard, though it was unclear if more than one officer fired.

Victim’s children witnessed incident

Local reports indicate that Blake's children were inside the SUV and watched as their father was gunned down.

Several witnesses said that Blake tried to break up a fight between two women outside a nearby home, according to Kenosha News.

Before resorting to gunfire, the police attempted to subdue Blake with a Taser, to no avail, it was reported.

Benjamin Crump, a civil rights attorney, shared video of the incident on his Twitter feed. He noted that the shooting took place right in front of Blake's three children.

'They saw a cop shoot their father,' Crump tweeted.

'They will be traumatised forever. We cannot let officers violate their duty to PROTECT us. Our kids deserve better!!'

Crump is the attorney who represents the family of George Floyd, the 46-year-old black man who died in the custody of Minneapolis police in late May.

Floyd's death ignited massive nationwide protests and rioting as millions took to the streets over the course of several weeks to demand the police officers responsible be tried and convicted.

The city of Kenosha is located on Lake Michigan, about 40 miles south of Milwaukee.