The police officers involved in the shooting in Kenosha, Wisconsin, last August that left Jacob Blake paralyzed will not face charges, Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley said Tuesday.
Blake, a Black man, was shot in the back by officer Rusten Sheskey, who is white. Sheskey was one of multiple officers who responded to a woman who reported her boyfriend was not supposed to be around. The officers got into a confrontation with Blake, and bystander footage, The Associated Press notes, "shows Blake walking to the driver-side door of an SUV as officers follow him with guns drawn, shouting." When Blake opened the door, Sheskey can be seen grabbing Blake's shirt from behind and firing.
The Kenosha police union said Blake was armed with a knife that he refused to drop when ordered by Sheskey. Sheskey's lawyer said Blake started running toward his client with the weapon, prompting him to shoot. "State investigators had said only that officers saw a knife on the floor of the SUV and hadn't said whether Blake threatened anyone with it," AP writes. The officers were not equipped with body cameras. Graveley said the state likely wouldn't "be able to prove" that Sheskey was not acting in self defense.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Blake's attorney Ben Crump expressed disappointment with the ruling. He argued the decision "further destroys trust in our judicial system," but said "we will continue to press forward with a civil lawsuit."
The shooting came amid a summer of civil unrest and protests against police brutality in the United States, sparked by the death of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man killed by police in Minneapolis. Major demonstrations took place in Kenosha afterward. Read more at The Associated Press.
-
‘A legacy news brand brings a visibility of its own’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
8 of the best ‘cozy crime’ series of all timeThe Week Recommends Murder mysteries don’t necessarily have to make us miserable, and these shows have perfected a feel-good crime formula
-
Youth revolts rattle Morocco as calls against corruption grow louderTHE EXPLAINER Snowballing controversy over World Cup construction and civic services has become a serious threat to Morocco’s political stability
-
4 dead in shooting, arson attack in Michigan churchSpeed Read A gunman drove a pickup truck into a Mormon church where he shot at congregants and then set the building on fire
-
2 kids killed in shooting at Catholic school massSpeed Read 17 others were wounded during a morning mass at the Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis
-
Australian woman found guilty of mushroom murdersspeed read Erin Patterson murdered three of her ex-husband's relatives by serving them toxic death cap mushrooms
-
Combs convicted on 2 of 5 charges, denied bailSpeed Read Sean 'Diddy' Combs was acquitted of the more serious charges of racketeering and sex trafficking
-
Sniper kills 2 Idaho firefighters in ambushSpeed Read A man started a wildfire, then fired a rifle at first responders when they arrived
-
Weinstein convicted of sex crime in retrialSpeed Read The New York jury delivered a mixed and partial verdict at the disgraced Hollywood producer's retrial
-
'King of the Hill' actor shot dead outside homespeed read Jonathan Joss was fatally shot by a neighbor who was 'yelling violent homophobic slurs,' says his husband
-
DOJ, Boulder police outline attacker's confessionspeed read Mohamed Sabry Soliman planned the attack for a year and 'wanted them all to die'
