US: NO CHARGES AGAINST WISCONSIN OFFICER WHO SHOT JACOB BLAKE

Wed 06 January 2021:

The Kenosha officer who shot Jacob Blake seven times in a shooting that sparked a nationwide firestorm will not face criminal charges, the Kenosha County District Attorney, Michael Graveley announced Tuesday.

“It is my decision now…No Kenosha law enforcement officer in this case will be charged with any criminal offense based on the facts and the laws,” Graveley told reporters at a briefing.

Prosecutors cleared a white police officer in the August shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, in Kenosha, Wisconsin – an incident that touched off street protests across the U.S. https://t.co/E5DftAckRO pic.twitter.com/AJBZWw1q8m

— Reuters (@Reuters) January 6, 2021

UN OFFICIAL: JACOB BLAKE SHOOTING SHOWS ISSUE OF RACISM IN US POLICE

Kenosha Police Officer Rusten Sheskey, and other officers involved in the incident, will not be charged in the August 2020 shooting following a months-long into the incident, which was caught on camera by bystanders, according to Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley. Blake will also not face charges, Graveley added.

“This was a tragedy, first and foremost, for Jacob Blake, who still suffers from grievous injuries. These are life-lasting injuries that he suffers from today,” said the attorney.

The Blake family’s attorney said they were “immensely disappointed” by the decision.

“We feel this decision failed not only Jacob and his family, but the community that protested and demanded justice,” Attorney Ben Crump said in a statement. “Officer Sheskey’s actions sparked outrage and advocacy throughout the country, but the district attorney’s decision not to charge the officer who shot Jacob in the back multiple times, leaving him paralyzed, further destroys trust in our justice system.

This sends the wrong message to police officers throughout the country. It says it is OK for police to abuse their power and recklessly shoot their weapon, destroying the life of someone who was trying to protect his children.”

Blake was shot in the back seven times by Rusten Shesky during an attempted arrest on Aug. 23 in Kenosha, Wisconsin, leaving him partially paralyzed.

The Kenosha County Sheriff’s Department officially declared a state of emergency on Monday ahead of the decision in the case, warning of “rioting, looting, damage to county and city property and civil unrest.”

Police officers opened fire on Blake as he opened the driver’s side door of an SUV and began to enter the vehicle with his back facing the two officers.