The Kenosha District Attorney’s Office announced no officers will be charged in the shooting of Jacob Blake, but the Justice Department said its civil rights investigation is ongoing.
District Attorney Michael Graveley, who said he spoke to Blake for the first time minutes before holding a press conference on Tuesday, made the announcement, citing that the case revolved around self-defense.
“Very important — Jacob Blake, while actively resisting, arms himself with a knife … It is absolutely incontrovertible that Jacob Blake was armed with a knife during this encounter,” Graveley said. “Incontrovertible. Most incontrovertible, because Jacob Blake, in all of the times he spoke to DCI, admits he possessed a knife.”
Graveley also said no charges will be made against Blake for potential crimes.
The Justice Department said its civil rights investigation into the shooting remains ongoing. The inquiry is being investigated by the FBI in cooperation with the Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigation. It’s being overseen by the U.S. Attorney’s office and the DOJ’s Civil Rights division, which will make an independent charging decision.
Blake, a 29-year-old black man, was shot at least seven times in the back by white officer Rusten Sheskey, a seven-year veteran who was responding to a call about a domestic disturbance in August. Blake was left paralyzed from the waist down after the shooting. Sheskey and several other officers were placed on administrative leave.
Part of the incident was caught on video and went viral. Blake can be seen in the video walking in front of his car toward the driver’s side, where he opened the door as an officer, identified as Sheskey, is seen holding on to the back of his shirt. Blake tried to move into the car, and Sheskey started firing his gun.
State officials later said that Blake had admitted to being in possession of a knife and that officers first tried to taser Blake to stop him from entering his vehicle.
During a press conference on Monday, Blake’s family and community leaders called for charges to be put on Sheskey.
Following the news of Graveley’s decision, Ben Crump, a high-profile civil rights attorney representing Blake, expressed disappointment.
“We feel that this decision failed not only Jacob and his family, but the community that protested and demanded justice,” Crump said in a statement.
Following the shooting, protests erupted across Kenosha and other cities that were still reeling from demonstrations following the death of George Floyd, a black man who died in police custody in Minneapolis.
Some business owners in Kenosha had already boarded up and shut down their establishments in preparation for the charging decision.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers authorized the mobilization of 500 state National Guard members at the request of local authorities, who feared unrest after the decision.
“We are continuing to work with our local partners in the Kenosha area to ensure they have the state support they need, just as we have in the past,” Evers said. “Our members of the National Guard will be on hand to support local first responders, ensure Kenoshans are able to assemble safely, and to protect critical infrastructure as necessary.”
