The officer who shot Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, last year has returned to active duty.
After being placed on administrative leave following the Aug. 23 shooting, officer Rusten Sheskey returned to work on March 31 and will not be disciplined, the city’s police chief announced on Tuesday. The shooting took place during a wave of demonstrations and riots around the nation in the wake of the police-involved death of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May, which led to Kenosha being an epicenter of protest activity for a time.
“The Kenosha Police use of force incident on August 23, 2020 was investigated by an outside agency; has been reviewed by an independent expert as well as the Kenosha County District Attorney,” Kenosha Police Chief Daniel Miskinis said in a Tuesday Facebook post on the department’s account. “Officer Sheskey was not charged with any wrong doing. He acted within the law and was consistent with training. This incident was also reviewed internally. Officer Sheskey was found to have been acting within policy and will not be subjected to discipline.”
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He added, “Although this incident has been reviewed at multiple levels, I know that some will not be pleased with the outcome; however, given the facts, the only lawful and appropriate decision was made.”
Sheskey, who was responding to a call about a domestic disturbance, shot Blake at least seven times in the back when he reached into his vehicle. Blake, who is now paralyzed, sued Sheskey, accusing him of using excessive force. The lawsuit notes that Blake had a knife in his possession during the incident but says that “at no time” did he attempt to “point the knife in the officers’ direction.”
“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,” District Attorney Michael Graveley said during a Jan. 5 press conference. “Incontrovertible. Most incontrovertible because Jacob Blake, in all of the times he spoke to DCI, admits he possessed a knife.”
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“We think it is an attempt to further harm the African American community,” Blake’s uncle Justin Blake said in response to the announcement on Tuesday, according to Kenosha News.
Sheskey was reportedly issued a weapon while on administrative leave that was stolen, Wisconsin’s WISN 12 reported on Tuesday, citing multiple sources and Sheskey’s attorney, prompting an internal investigation. The news station also reported that Sheskey isn’t back out on the streets yet as police said he needs to catch up on training.
Kyle Rittenhouse, an 18-year-old from Antioch, Illinois, has pleaded not guilty to criminal charges in the killing of Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber, in addition to wounding a third victim, Gaige Grosskreutz, during the unrest in Kenosha that followed Blake being shot. A trial has been pushed back to November.
The news about Sheskey comes as demonstrations have taken place in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, following the fatal police shooting of Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old black man, during a traffic stop on Sunday.
The trial for Derek Chauvin, the former officer accused of killing Floyd, is ongoing. He has pleaded not guilty to charges of third-degree murder, second-degree murder, and manslaughter charges. Minnesota prosecutors concluded their case on Tuesday, allowing the defense team to call its first witness to the stand after 11 days of testimony.
