*Kenosha police officer Rusten Sheskey, who shot Jacob Blake multiple times in the back last August, is back at work and will not face any discipline.
Sheskey told investigators that he feared for his safety during his encounter with Blake, so he opened fire. Jacob believes he used excessive force, and he’s now suing the officer for violating his civil rights. Sheskey nor the other cops involved during the encounter with Blake that fateful day were criminally charged.
Blake was hospitalized on Aug. 23 after Sheskey shot him multiple times while responding to a domestic disturbance. His children were in a car and witnessed the shooting. Blake was left paralyzed in the incident. Sheskey returned to work in late March following administrative leave, according to Kenosha Police Department Chief Daniel Miskinis, per PEOPLE.
“Officer Sheskey was not charged with any wrongdoing. He acted within the law and was consistent with training,” Miskinis said in a statement released Tuesday. “Officer Sheskey was found to have been acting within policy and will not be subjected to discipline.”
READ MORE: Jacob Blake Sues Kenosha Cop Who Shot and Paralyzed Him
Media Release pic.twitter.com/wdq5QaNNyk
— Kenosha Police Dept. (@KenoshaPolice) April 13, 2021
Video of the Aug 23 incident shows three officers standing with Blake before he walks toward the driver’s side of his car. An officer with his gun drawn follows Blake, then grabs the back of his shirt while firing multiple shots into his back. Blake appears to go limp before he is seen lying on the ground surrounded by officers.
The shooting sparked outrage and led to several nights of protests that turned deadly when 17-year-old suspected white supremacist Kyle Rittenhouse traveled from Illinois (with his mother) to the demonstrations in Kenosha, where he shot and killed two protesters and wounded a third. The GOP praised him for being a “true patriot” and a “hero.”
“Although this incident has been reviewed at multiple levels, I understand that some will not be pleased with the outcome; however, given the facts, it was the only lawful and appropriate decision to be made,” Miskinis added.
In January, Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley said that Sheskey will not face any criminal charges in the shooting.
“It’s really evidence about the perspective of Officer Sheskey at each moment and what would a reasonable officer do at each moment,” Graveley said at the time. “Almost none of those things are answered in that deeply disturbing video that we’ve all seen. Officer Sheskey felt he was about to be stabbed.”
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