Kenosha: Elderly man, 71, brutally attacked by protesters while trying to save stores, left with broken jaw
KENOSHA, WISCONSIN: An elderly man's jaw was broken as he tried to intervene and protect a store that was eventually burned during the Kenosha protests, reports reveal. Kenosha has been engulfed in protests since the police shooting of Jacob Blake who was left severely injured.
The man, Robert Cobb, 71, had responded to the Danish Brotherhood Lodge as well as The Mattress Shop after he saw a live video of people trying to torch the properties. He decided to use a fire extinguisher in order to spray some people who were trying to break-in.
Looters assault an older business owner trying to defend his business in Kenosha, Wisconsin on August 24, 2020. pic.twitter.com/LdlLnOpvfJ
— After Action Report (@after_theaction) August 25, 2020
The mattress store was eventually burned to the ground. As per Kenosha News, the owner of the store, Pamela 'Sue' Moniz, said, "He sprayed them in the face so they had to take their masks off for identification. Someone pulled a gun and another person yelled, ‘Don’t shoot this man, don’t shoot this man.'"
After this Cobb was hit in the head with a plastic bottle full of concrete which ended up knocking him to the ground. As a result of the fall, he suffered from a broken jaw in two places, split his nose, and also had deep cuts in his head. Passersby were seen rushing to Cobb's aid after the attack as one person can be heard saying that they needed to turn Cobb's head as he was "drowning in his blood".
A woman can be heard saying in the video to others in the area, "He didn't deserve any of that, any of it. This is just wrong guys, do you not see this?" The video also shows a person crying out repeatedly, "No! No! No!" as the senior falls to the ground.
As reported by Fox News, Moniz shared that she and some others helped Cobb get into a truck and drove through "a mass of people" in order to get him to a hospital. It is said that he will need two removable plates in place and wire his jaw shut. The business owner spoke to Kenosha News and said that she was very grateful for how Cobb had tried to defend her business. "I absolutely cry every time I talk about it because this man did this for me. He did it because that is the kind of person he is. He is so giving; so selfless."
She shared that Cobb had started being a customer at her store "years and years ago" with Moniz now being his emergency contact. Moniz who owns the store with her husband Keith said, "I’m his (contact) person and he’s my person." A GoFundMe campaign has been started for The Mattress Shop and Cobb. The page was created by Yvonne Rich who said, "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 have known these wonderful folks for years. They are honest, hardworking, and honorable people," the page read.
Moniz added how they will cover Cobb's medical expenses. "If there is anything left over, that is what we will use to rebuild,” she said. “He absolutely comes first."