Jacob Blake, the black man whose shooting by a white police officer reignited protests across the US over racism and police brutality, has pleaded not guilty to criminal charges.
The 29-year-old, who was left paralysed from the waist down by the shooting, was propped up in his hospital bed as he appeared by video link for the court hearing.
Mr Blake was shot several times in the back from close range as he got into a car at Kenosha, Wisconsin on 23 August.
The charges were filed before the incident, accusing him of criminal trespass, third-degree sexual assault and disorderly conduct based on statements by his ex-girlfriend at the time, the mother of three of his children.
She told police that Jacob Blake broke into her home on 3 May and sexually assaulted her before stealing her truck and debit card.
Mr Blake, dressed in a blue shirt and yellow tie, entered his "not guilty" plea through his lawyer Patrick Cafferty, sitting in a chair by his hospital bedside.
It was his first public appearance since the shooting incident.
Mr Cafferty noted that Mr Blake had been working as a painter and had no prior criminal record or convictions in any state.
Mr Blake raised his hand to greet Loren Keating, a Kenosha County judicial court commissioner, when addressed, saying "Yes sir," when asked if he could hear clearly and whether he understood the terms of his $10,000 signature bond.
"The state recognises that these are serious charges but also that the defendant has serious injuries and he's recovering at the hospital," said Zeke Wiedenfeld, a prosecutor.
The court ordered the trial to begin on 9 November with jury selection. The complaint does not identify Mr Blake's ex-girlfriend by name.
