‘Take a deep breath’: Democratic lawmaker, who is a former police chief, reserving judgment on Jacob Blake and officer who shot him until investigation completed

“I think what we have to do is all take a deep breath. If we want justice to be served, we’ve got to wait until a thorough and complete investigation is done. We do not want to play judge, jury, and executioner, whether we’re talking about Mr. Blake or we’re talking about the police officer,” Demings told Face the Nation on CBS News.

“We want the facts, and we must have all of them if we want to see justice served, and I believe we all do,” she added.

Blake, a 29-year-old black man, was shot while trying to reenter his vehicle during an arrest in Kenosha that has sparked a wave of unrest in the city. Blake told officers that he had a knife which was later recovered on the driver’s side floorboard of the vehicle, according to a police report. He had an outstanding warrant for his arrest when police were called to the scene. Blake’s three children were in the car when he was shot.

Officer Rusten Sheskey, who has been identified as the Kenosha officer who shot Blake in the back seven times at close range, was placed on administrative leave while investigations into the shooting are conducted.

Blake’s family has said he is paralyzed from the waist down as a result of the shooting and have talked about filing a civil lawsuit against the Kenosha Police Department.

The officers involved in the incident did not have body cameras as the Kenosha Police Department has not provided its force with the devices due to acquisition delays attributed, in part, to budget shortfalls.