Shooting of Jacob Blake

"Kenosha shooting" redirects here. For the shooting during the resulting unrest, see Kenosha unrest shooting.

Shooting of Jacob Blake
Image of Blake falling into the vehicle after the 5th shot
DateAugust 23, 2020; 4 years ago (2020-08-23)
Timec. 5:15 pm[1] (CDT)
LocationKenosha, Wisconsin, U.S.
Coordinates42°36′02.3″N 87°50′35.8″W / 42.600639°N 87.843278°W / 42.600639; -87.843278
TypePolice shooting
ParticipantsOfficer Rusten Sheskey of the Kenosha Police Department
Non-fatal injuriesGunshot wounds; paralyzed from the waist down; damage to stomach, kidney, and liver; most of small intestines and colon removed.
ChargesNone

On August 23, 2020, Jacob S. Blake, a 29-year-old black man, was shot and seriously injured by police officer Rusten Sheskey in Kenosha, Wisconsin.[2] Sheskey shot Blake in the back four times and the side three times[3] after Blake opened the driver's door of an SUV belonging to the mother of his children, and attempted to reach inside.[4][5] Sheskey said that he believed he was about to be stabbed, since Blake was holding a knife.[6][7] Earlier during the encounter, Blake had been tasered by two officers, but the tasers failed to disable him and he continued toward the vehicle.[8][9]

Blake had a warrant for his arrest from July, based on charges of third-degree felony sexual assault[note 1] and trespassing and disorderly conduct for domestic abuse in May.[10] Both Kenosha Police Chief Daniel Miskinis and the Kenosha Professional Police Association stated that the officers dispatched on August 23 were aware of the pending warrant for Blake before they arrived on scene; dispatch records confirm this.[11][12][13][14]

The police shooting was followed by unrest, which included rallies, marches, property damage, arson, and clashes with police. Two men were fatally shot by an armed civilian, 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse from Antioch, Illinois. Blake's name was invoked in protests in other cities as part of the Black Lives Matter movement, which resurged in the wake of several high-profile killings by police officers in 2020.[15]

In January 2021, Kenosha County prosecutors announced that the officers involved in the shooting would not be charged, and Sheskey returned to regular police duty in April 2021.[16]

Prosecutors also announced that Blake would not face any new charges.[17][18] They dropped previous sexual assault and trespassing charges against Blake in exchange for him pleading guilty to two misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct for domestic abuse, for which he was sentenced to two years of probation.[19][20]

  1. ^ Jones, Meg; Taschler, Joe (August 25, 2020). "Less than 3 minutes passed between when Kenosha police arrived and when Jacob Blake was shot, according to dispatch audio". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Archived from the original on March 3, 2021. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  2. ^ Ailworth, Erin; Wernau, Julie; Otani, Akane (August 27, 2020). "Wisconsin Identifies Officer Who Shot Jacob Blake". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on October 10, 2021. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
  3. ^ "No charges against Wisconsin officer who shot Jacob Blake". AP News. April 20, 2021. Archived from the original on November 13, 2021. Retrieved November 14, 2021.
  4. ^ Sanchez, Ray (January 11, 2021). "Investigative report offers up-close look at Jacob Blake shooting in Wisconsin". CNN. Archived from the original on November 12, 2021. Retrieved November 14, 2021.
  5. ^ Barrett, Joe (October 10, 2021). "Jacob Blake Shooting: What We Know About the Shooting in Kenosha". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Archived from the original on November 6, 2021. Retrieved November 14, 2021.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Allemand, Alyssa (January 14, 2021). "Jacob Blake Says He Was Going To Surrender to Police After Putting Pocket Knife in His Car". Wisconsin Public Radio. Archived from the original on November 14, 2021. Retrieved November 14, 2021.
  8. ^ "2 officers fired tasers at Jacob Blake before he was shot, Wisconsin Justice Department says". CBS News. August 28, 2020. Archived from the original on November 14, 2021. Retrieved November 14, 2021.
  9. ^ "Two police officers tried to stop Jacob Blake with tasers: Wisconsin Justice Department". Reuters. August 28, 2020. Archived from the original on November 14, 2021. Retrieved November 14, 2021.
  10. ^ Vielmetti, Bruce. "Jacob Blake, shot by police in Kenosha, sentenced to probation in earlier case". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Archived from the original on March 2, 2021. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
  11. ^ Eligon, John; Mervosh, Sarah; Jr, Richard A. Oppel (August 28, 2020). "Jacob Blake Was Shackled in Hospital Bed After Police Shot Him". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 14, 2021. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
  12. ^ "Police association: Jacob Blake physically struggled with officers before shooting". Green Bay: WBAY-TV. August 28, 2020. Archived from the original on January 4, 2021. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
  13. ^ Richmond, Todd (August 28, 2020). "Kenosha police union gives its version of Jacob Blake shooting". KARE-TV. Associated Press. Archived from the original on November 4, 2021. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
  14. ^ Graveley, Michael D. (January 5, 2021). "Report on the Officer Involved Shooting of Jacob Blake". Kenosha County Records. Archived from the original on November 1, 2021. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  15. ^ Peiser, Jaclyn; Berman, Mark; Guarino, Mark; Firozi, Paulina; Witte, Griff (August 24, 2020). "After video shows Wisconsin police shooting a Black man multiple times, National Guard is called to Kenosha". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 25, 2020. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
  16. ^ Cite error: The named reference USA Today 2021-04-13 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  17. ^ Cite error: The named reference WTMJ 4 2021-01-05 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  18. ^ Vera, Amir; Parks, Brad. "Officer who shot Jacob Blake will not face charges, district attorney says". CNN. Archived from the original on October 31, 2021. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  19. ^ Jimenez, Omar; Sutton, Joe (November 7, 2020). "Jacob Blake reaches plea deal in domestic case". CNN. Archived from the original on December 6, 2021. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
  20. ^ "Sexual assault charge against Jacob Blake dismissed in plea agreement". NBC News. November 6, 2020. Archived from the original on November 23, 2021. Retrieved December 6, 2021.


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