Wisconsin DOJ says Jacob Blake ADMITTED he was armed with a knife, identifies officer who shot him

There was a knife under the seat of Jacob Blake’s car, where he was reaching when Kenosha police officer Rusten Sheskey shot him, the Wisconsin Department of Justice has revealed. The incident touched off three days of riots.

Sheskey, a seven-year veteran of the Kenosha PD, was among the officers dispatched on Sunday to a call from a woman who said “her boyfriend was present and was not supposed to be on the premises,” the Wisconsin DOJ Division of Criminal Investigation said in a statement on Wednesday.

Finding Blake on the site, the officers tried to arrest him, but he resisted. He ignored the Taser used against him, and opened the driver’s side door of his van to reach inside, when Sheskey opened fire. 

“During the investigation following the initial incident, Mr Blake admitted that he had a knife in his possession. DCI agents recovered a knife from the driver’s side floorboard of Mr Blake’s vehicle.”

Sheskey fired seven times into Blake’s back, the DOJ confirmed, adding that no other officer used their weapon during the incident. The Kenosha PD does not use body cameras, so the only footage available of the incident is what has made rounds on social media ever since.

All the officers involved have been placed on administrative leave and are cooperating with the investigation, which is run by the DCI with FBI assistance.

Blake survived but has reportedly been severely injured and may be unable to walk. Protests that began after videos of the shooting appeared on social media quickly turned violent, with several shops and businesses in the area vandalized and set on fire. 

Protesters and rioters have presented Blake’s shooting as racist, painting the African-American resident of Kenosha as an unarmed innocent. Blake had a criminal history including domestic violence, and an outstanding warrant for his arrest.

On Wednesday, the NBA halted all basketball playoff games, and some MLB teams also walked off their baseball diamonds, in what they said was a protest for racial justice over Blake’s shooting. 

Kenosha District Attorney Michael Graveley endorsed peaceful protests and approved of the “dramatic statement” by the Milwaukee Bucks, which triggered the NBA-wide walkout. He also said the destruction does “a deep disservice” to the protesters’ cause.

With a small number of National Guard troops deployed only to protect state property, the riots continued for two more nights. Two people were killed and one was wounded on Tuesday, after rioters clashed with armed individuals trying to protect businesses from destruction.

Sheskey’s identification comes after Black Lives Matter activist Shaun King threatened to name every single officer in Kenosha PD as the potential shooter.  

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