The Kenosha officer who shot Jacob Blake seven times in a shooting that sparked a nationwide firestorm will not face criminal charges, the Kenosha County District Attorney announced Tuesday.
Rusten Sheskey, a Kenosha police officer and other officers involved in the incident, will not be charged during the August 2020 shooting a month after the incident, which was captured on camera by passers-by, according to the Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley. Blake will not face charges either, Graveley added.
A federal investigation into civil rights charges is ongoing.
“It’s very important to me that this conversation is a complicated conversation, that it’s a real conversation, not a simplistic one,” Graveley said in explaining the decision.
The Blake family’s lawyer said he was “immensely disappointed” by the decision.
“We believe this decision failed not only Jacob and his family, but the community that protested and demanded justice,” prosecutor Ben Crump said in a statement. “Agent Sheskey’s actions sparked outrage and defense across the country, but the district attorney’s decision not to charge the officer who shot Jacob in the back several times, leaving him paralyzed, still destroys more confidence in our judicial system.This sends a wrong message to police officers across the country.He says it is okay for the police to abuse his power and shoot recklessly.his weapon, destroying the life of someone who tried protect your children “.
Graveley stressed that his decision focused on the laser on what would be allowed in a jury trial.
“It means this case is self-defense and can be shown not to exist,” Graveley said. “It’s the perspective of Officer Sheskey. What knowledge does he have at all times and what does a reasonable officer do at all times? Almost none of this has an answer to the deeply disturbing video we’ve all seen.”
WARNING: The following video contains graphic content and may be annoying to some viewers. WARNING: NBC 5 is not shown at the time Jacob Blake is shot. The audio of the scene will continue to play as the video stops. The video posted on social media appears to show Kenosha police officers shooting seven times at the back of a black man …
In the shooting, Blake, who is black, was shot in the back seven times after walking away from Sheskey and two other officers trying to arrest him. Blake was shot after he opened the driver’s side door of an SUV and leaned into the vehicle and the shot was captured on cell phone video.
Graveley and officials have said Blake was armed with a knife at the time of the incident and that Blake admitted to police that he had a knife, which was later recovered from his vehicle.
“Jacob Blake admits he has a knife. It’s not a cell phone. He admits it,” Graveley said. “It’s a razor blade knife, and we had a DCI analyst who took the shape and size to match the image and, in fact, it’s a match. We say with confidence according to his admission, the officers say so and the video, he is clearly armed with a knife as he approaches the driver’s door. “
The shooting left Blake paralyzed from the waist down and sparked days of protests and demonstrations and several nights of looting and vandalism.
Crump said the Blake family plans to continue with a civil lawsuit.
“We urge Americans to continue to raise their voices and demand change in a peaceful and positive way during this emotional time,” the statement said.
The city and county have been preparing for days ahead of the expected decision, with activists and officials calling for peace and nonviolent responses to the announcement.
Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian on Monday received emergency powers from Kenosha City Council on Monday, while officials prepared for the riots expected after the decision.
The mayor and the Kenosha police department have indicated that they plan to establish curfews if necessary, designate demonstration spaces, limit urban bus routes, close roads and impose other safety restrictions, if necessary.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers also activated the state National Guard on Monday to provide assistance to local law enforcement in case of unrest.
Activists have called on residents and protesters to avoid repeating themselves after Blake’s decision was handed down, calling for nonviolent demonstrations.
“We want everyone to come out and be as strong as they want to be, but we don’t want the destruction of property,” activist Tanya McLean said. “We are for non-violence. Anything else is not acceptable to this community. “