Kenosha cop who shot Jacob Blake in the back and paralyzed him will NOT be charged and is back on duty
The Wisconsin police officer who shot Jacob Blake in Kenosha last August will not be disciplined or charged with any crime and is back on active duty, cops said.
Officer Rusten Sheskey shot Blake, 29, in the back seven times on August 23 in front of his children and left him paralyzed from the waist down while officers responded to a 911 call about an alleged 'domestic incident.'
Sheskey had been placed on administrative leave after the incident but returned to work on March 31 after the shooting was investigated 'by an outside agency,' the Kenosha Police Department announced on Twitter on Tuesday.
Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley had announced in January that is office would not charge Sheskey with a crime for the shooting.
Kenosha Officer Rusten Sheskey shot Jacob Blake in the back seven times on August 23 in front of his children
Blake, 29, was left paralyzed from the waist down and has since sued the officer in federal court
Kenosha Police Department announced on Tuesday that Sheskey returned to work on March 31 after being placed on administrative leave
Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley had announced in January that is office would not charge Sheskey with a crime for the shooting
Blake answers questions during a hearing on September 4. 2020 in Kenosha
'[It] has been reviewed by an independent expert as well as the Kenosha County District Attorney. Officer Sheskey was not charged with any wrong doing. He acted within the law and was consistent with training,' Police Chief Daniel Miskinis wrote in the release.
'This incident was also reviewed internally. Officer Sheskey was found to have been acting within policy and will not be subjected to discipline.'
Miskinis 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.'
Last month, Blake sued Sheskey in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin for excessive force, seeking an unspecified amount in compensation for the injuries he suffered and 'a substantial sum' in punitive damages.
His lawyers also demanded to be paid for costs, legal fees, 'and such other relief as is just and equitable.'
Protests erupted last summer after a viral cellphone video showed Blake walking around the front of his car with Sheskey following and opening fire after Blake opened the door.
But investigators said the video was incomplete and failed to show that Blake was armed with a knife and had resisted arrest, arguing that it would have been hard to prove Sheskey was not acting in self defense.
Blake had also admitted to holding a knife and even described 'switching it from one hand to another,' The New York Times reported.
The shooting of Jacob Blake rekindled massive protests at the end of last summer, just months after George Floyd and Breonna Taylor were shot by police officers.
Last month, Kenosha police said 55 people were facing charges related to violent demonstrations in the city.
'Large numbers of people engaged in lawful protest; however, many engaged in unlawful and dangerous activity,' Miskinis said in a statement at the time.
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