In 2020 Kamala Harris met privately with the family of Jacob Blake, the Black man who was shot several times by police in Kenosha, WI. She clearly jumped the gun and used poor judgment by siding with a felon before the truth came out.
Jacob Blake fought the officers as they tried to take him into custody. Officer Rusten Sheskey and another officer tried to shock him with their stun guns to no avail. Blake tried to get into an SUV with his young children in the backseat, prompting Sheskey to grab his shirt. Sheskey told investigators that he was afraid Blake would drive off with the children or use them as hostages. Video showed Blake turning toward Sheskey with a knife and made a motion toward the officer with the knife, prompting Sheskey to fire.
State prosecutors decided not to file charges against Officer Rusten Sheskey in early 2021 after video showed that Blake, who was wanted on a felony warrant, was armed with a knife.
Federal prosecutors announced in October 2021 that they wouldn't file charges against the white police officer. The U.S. Department of Justice launched its own investigation days after the shooting. The agency announced that a team of prosecutors from its Civil Rights Division and the U.S. attorney's office in Milwaukee reviewed police reports, witness statements, dispatch logs and videos of the incident, and determined there wasn't enough evidence to prove Sheskey used excessive force or violated Blake's federal rights. "Accordingly, the review of this incident has been closed without a federal prosecution," the Justice Department said in a news release.
The Justice Department's findings dovetailed with Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley's determination in January 2021 that Sheskey could successfully argue that he fired in self-defense.
Jacob Blake fought the officers as they tried to take him into custody. Officer Rusten Sheskey and another officer tried to shock him with their stun guns to no avail. Blake tried to get into an SUV with his young children in the backseat, prompting Sheskey to grab his shirt. Sheskey told investigators that he was afraid Blake would drive off with the children or use them as hostages. Video showed Blake turning toward Sheskey with a knife and made a motion toward the officer with the knife, prompting Sheskey to fire.
State prosecutors decided not to file charges against Officer Rusten Sheskey in early 2021 after video showed that Blake, who was wanted on a felony warrant, was armed with a knife.
Federal prosecutors announced in October 2021 that they wouldn't file charges against the white police officer. The U.S. Department of Justice launched its own investigation days after the shooting. The agency announced that a team of prosecutors from its Civil Rights Division and the U.S. attorney's office in Milwaukee reviewed police reports, witness statements, dispatch logs and videos of the incident, and determined there wasn't enough evidence to prove Sheskey used excessive force or violated Blake's federal rights. "Accordingly, the review of this incident has been closed without a federal prosecution," the Justice Department said in a news release.
The Justice Department's findings dovetailed with Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley's determination in January 2021 that Sheskey could successfully argue that he fired in self-defense.
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thehill.com
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www.npr.org
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