Rusten Sheskey, the white police officer who shot Jacob Blake in an incident that left the Black man paralyzed, will not face criminal charges in the shooting in Kenosha, Wisconsin, prosecutors announced Tuesday.
Rusten Sheskey, the white police officer who shot Jacob Blake in an incident that left the Black man paralyzed, will not face criminal charges in the shooting in Kenosha, Wisconsin, prosecutors announced Tuesday.
“No charges will be filed against police officers in the police shooting of Jacob Blake,” Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley announced Tuesday. Graveley also said there would be no charges filed against Blake, NBC reported.
Graveley announced that the two other officers involved in the incident, who were identified by the Wisconsin Justice Department in September as Officers Vincent Arenas and Brittany Meronek, will also not face charges, CNN reported.
On Aug. 23, 2020, Sheskey shot Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, seven times in the back, while responding to a domestic disturbance. Blake survived the shooting, but was left paralyzed from the waist down, CNN reported.
"It is my decision now that no Kenosha law enforcement officer will be charged with any criminal offense based on the facts and laws," Graveley said Tuesday, CNN reported.
Blake’s shooting sparked widespread protests and civil unrest in the city of Kenosha and all over the nation. as protesters called for police reform and an end to police brutality. The protests were also sparked by the deaths of Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky and George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, both of whom died in interactions with police.
In anticipation of Tuesday’s decision, Kenosha officials prepared for another round of potential unrest, with the City Council granting Mayor John Antaramian emergency powers once the announcement was made, CNN reported.
On Monday, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers authorized the mobilization of 500 members of the state’s National Guard, the New York Post reported.
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