The Kenosha officer who shot Jacob Blake seven times in a shooting that caused a nationwide firestorm will not be prosecuted, the Kenosha County District Attorney announced Tuesday.
Kenosha police officer Rustos Sheskey and other officers involved in the incident will not be charged during the August 2020 shooting, after several months in the incident, which was captured on camera by bystanders, according to the district attorney of Kenosha County, Michael Graveley. Blake will also not face charges, Graveley added.
A federal investigation into civil rights charges continues.
“It’s very important to me that this conversation should be a complex conversation, that it should be a real and not a simple conversation,” Graveley said.
The Blake family’s lawyer said they were “extremely disappointed” with the decision.
“We feel that this decision failed not only Jacob and his family, but also the community who demanded protest and justice,” attorney Ben Crump said in a statement. ‘Officer Sheskey’s actions sparked outrage and advocacy across the country, but the district attorney’s decision not to reprimand the officer who shot Jacob several times in the back and left him paralyzed further undermines confidence in our legal system. It sends the wrong message to police officers across the country. It says it is good that the police are abusing their power and recklessly shooting their weapon, which is destroying the life of someone who tried to protect his children. ‘
Graveley stressed that his decision was ‘Laser-focused’ on what would be allowed in a jury trial.
“It means this case is all about self-defense, and it can be proven that it does not exist,” Graveley said. “It’s about Officer Sheskey’s perspective. What is his knowledge at any given moment, and what does a reasonable officer do at any given moment? Almost none of these things are answered by the deeply disturbing video we have all seen. ‘
WARNING: The following video contains graphic content and may be offensive to some viewers. NOTE: NBC 5 does not show the moment Jacob Blake is shot. The sound of the scene will continue to play as the video goes silent. In a video posted on social media, it appears that police officers in Kenosha shoot at the back of a black man seven times …
In the shooting, Blake, who is black, was shot in the back seven times after walking away from Sheskey and two other officers who tried to arrest him. Blake was shot after opening the driver’s side door of an SUV and leaning into the vehicle, and the shooting was captured on a cellphone video.
Graveley and officials said Blake was armed with a knife at the time of the incident and that Blake admitted to police that he had a knife that 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, and we had a DCI analyst take the shape and size to fit the picture, and it’s actually a match. We say with confidence based on his recognition, officers say this and the video, he was clearly armed with a knife as he approached the driver’s door. ‘
The shooting paralyzed Blake from the waist down and kicked off days of protests and protests and a few nights of looting and vandalism.
Crump said the Blake family plans to pursue a civil lawsuit.
“We call on Americans to continue to raise their voices and change in a peaceful and positive way during this emotional time,” the statement said.
The city and county have been preparing for days for the long-awaited decision, with both activists and officials calling for peace and nonviolent responses to the announcement.
Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian was given emergency powers by Kenosha City Council on Monday as officials made their support for expected unrest after the ruling.
The mayor and Kenosha Police Department have indicated that they plan to set up curfew arrangements if necessary, designate demonstration spaces, restrict city bus routes, close roads and impose other safety restrictions if necessary.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers also activated the state National Guard Monday to assist local law enforcement in the event of a riot.
Activists called on residents and protesters to avoid a repeat of Blake’s ruling, calling for non-violent protests.
“We want everyone to come out and be as hard as they want, but we do not want to destroy property,” activist Tanya McLean said. “We are in favor of non-violence. Anything else is not acceptable to this community. ”