Officer Who Shot Jacob Blake Will Not Face Civil Rights Charges
Kenosha Police Officer Rusten Sheskey, who shot and paralyzed Jacob Blake in August of 2020, will not face civil right charges.
The Department of Justice said in an Oct. 8 statement, "After a careful and thorough review, a team of experienced federal prosecutors determined that insufficient evidence exists to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the KPD officer willfully violated the federal criminal civil rights statutes.”
Blake’s father, Jacob Blake Sr., told ABC News, "I was expecting more from the administration than this. I was expecting much more than this. I believe that we're in a systematic racist system, and that this system was not set up for us. So I didn't expect the system to work for us, because it never works for us. It wasn’t made for us."
He also added, “Seven times in the back is excessive. I don't care if you're a dog. Seven times in the back, that's not excessive?"
On August 23, a viral video showed Blake walking towards his vehicle as officers had their guns drawn on him. As soon as he entered the car, one of the officers began shooting him multiple times in front of his three sons.
He had reportedly been attempting to break up a fight between two women when officers were called to the scene.
Rusten Sheskey was placed on administrative leave.The officer returned to duty in April of 2021.
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