Jacob Blake, the black man shot in the back seven times in front of his three young children by Wisconsin police, had a knife in his posession, the Wisconsin Attorney General revealed.
The Wisconsin Department of Justice provided some of the first details surrounding the police shooting on Wednesday, revealing Blake had a knife and the name of the officer who opened fire.
Blake, a 29-year-old father of six, was shot multiple times in the back by Kenosha officers responding to a dispute at the scene on Sunday evening, sparking national outrage and heated protests decrying police brutality.
Police were called to the scene at the 2800 block of 40th Street in Kenosha on Sunday after Blake’s girlfriend ‘reported that her boyfriend was present and was not supposed to be on the premises.’
Officers tried to subdue him with a taser before opening fire.
Jacob Blake, the black man shot in the back seven times in front of his three young children by Wisconsin police, had a knife in his posession, the Wisconsin Attorney General revealed Wednesday. Jacob Blake lies on the street after he got shot following a police shooting in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Sunday
Blake is seen far left with his three children. Witnesses said all three of his kids were in the back seat of the SUV when their father was shot
Wiconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul provided the first details of what led up to the shooting of Jacob Blake on Wednesday
‘During the incident, officers attempted to arrest Jacob S. Blake…Law enforcement deployed a taser to attempt to stop Mr. Blake, however the taser was not successful in stopping Mr. Blake,’ officials said.
During an investigation Blake admitted that he had a knife and agents recovered it from the driver’s side floorboard of his vehicle after opening fire. No other weapons were found.
In the incident officers yelled for Blake to ‘drop the knife’ as they followed him around the car.
He opened his car door and appeared to lunge for something as a police officer, identified as Officer Rusten Sheskey, grabbed the back of his shirt and fired it into Blake’s back seven times.
Officials said Blake was either lunging for the knife on the floor board or it fell from his hand.
Officer Sheskey was the only cop who opened fire at the scene.
Officer Rusten Sheskey, a seven year veteran with the Kenosha Police Department, was identified as the cop who fired all seven shots into Blake’s back
The images above show the moments leading up to the shooting. Blake (seen in the white shirt) walks away from a police officer who has his gun drawn and is ordering him to stop
The image above shows the moment a Kenosha, Wisconsin, police officer fired at least seven shots into the back of Jacob Blake as he was getting into an SUV in a residential neighborhood
Officer Sheskey, who has been with the department for seven years, and all others officers involved in the shooting, have been placed on administrative leave during the investigation, officials said.
Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul said in a news conference that the other officers involved in the shooting will be identified ‘soon’.
Blake’s three young children were in the SUV and witnessed the shooting. His girlfriend also witnessed the moment Blake’s body was riddled with bullets.
After the shooting the officers ‘immediately provided medical aid’ and Blake was taken to Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee, where he remains.
Blake’s lawyers said in a press conference Tuesday that the bullets struck his spinal cord and resulted in the near-complete removal of his colon and small intestine and damaged his kidney and liver.
Family members said he was paralyzed by the shooting, but it’s unclear if it will be premanent.
Blake’s lawyers said in a press conference Tuesday that the bullets struck his spinal cord and resulted in the near-complete removal of his colon and small intestine and damaged his kidney and liver. He’s paralyzed but it’s not clear if its permanent
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers released a statement saying he was ‘hoping earnestly’ that Blake ‘would not succumb to his injuries’
‘Because those bullets severed his spinal cord and shattered some of his vertebrae, it is going to take a miracle… for Jacob Blake Jr. to ever walk again,’ attorney Ben Crump said.
Authorities noted that the Kenosha Police Department does not have body cameras, ‘therefore the officers were not wearing body cameras.’
An investigation into the case remains ongoing from the Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, according to authorities. The department aims to provide a report within 30 days, it said.
In Kenosha police are bracing for what’s expected to be a fourth night of protets and unrest in the wake of Blake’s shooting.
Two people have been killed in the civil unrest in Kenosha.
On Wednesday afternoon 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse was arrested and charged for the shooting in Kenosha that killed the two protesters and injured another person in a possible vigilante attack just before midnight Tuesday.
The police admirer was arrested in his hometown of Antioch, Illinois, about 15 miles from Kenosha, and was charged with first degree intentional homicide.
He was arrested after video footage emerged him walking up to police with his hands in the air and his semi-automatic rifle slung across his body before the shooting.
Demonstrators raise their fist in the air, in front of law enforcement on Tuesday evening during a third night of protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin as the city declared a state of emergency curfew
Demonstrators sit in the street, in front of law enforcement during Jacob Blake protests on Tuesday denouncing the police shooting and racism
Protesters take cover behind a dumpster during clashes with police outside the Kenosha County Courthouse, late Tuesday
Police stand near a department of corrections building that was on fire during protests on Monday in Kenosha
The court remains empty at the HP Field House at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex where the Houston Rockets were to face the Oklahoma City Thunder in game five of the first round playoffs in Kissimmee, Florida on Wednesday. All three NBA playoff games scheduled for Wednesday were postponed as players in the league sought to boycott games to denounce racial injustice
The dead were identified only as a 26-year-old Silver Lake, Wisconsin, resident and a 36-year-old from Kenosha. The wounded person, a 36-year-old from West Allis, Wisconsin, was expected to survive, police said.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers authorized the sending of 500 members of the National Guard to Kenosha, doubling the number of troops in the wake of the shooting.
The governor’s office said he is working with other states to bring in additional National Guard members and law officers. Authorities also announced a 7pm curfew, an hour earlier than the night before.
In Washington, the Justice Department said it is sending in the FBI and federal marshals in response to the unrest.
The White House said up to 2,000 National Guard troops would be made available.
And in Orlando, the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks, a team based in Wisconsin, didn’t take the floor for their playoff game against the Magic.
It was later announced that all three NBA playoff games scheduled for Wednesday were postponed, with players around the league choosing to boycott in their strongest statement yet against racial injustice.