Prosecutors clear white police officer over Jacob Blake shooting in Kenosha, Wisconsin

[webfact]

Prosecutors clear white police officer over Jacob Blake shooting in Kenosha, Wisconsin

By Brendan O'Brien

 

Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley leads a news conference to announce a decision on whether any of the Kenosha Police Officers involved in the August 23, 2020 shooting of Black man Jacob Blake will face criminal charges, in Kenosha, Wisconsin, U.S. January 5, 2021. REUTERS/Daniel Acker

 

KENOSHA, Wisc. (Reuters) - Prosecutors on Tuesday cleared a white police officer in the Aug. 23 shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, in Kenosha, Wisconsin, an incident that touched off deadly street protests and inflamed racial tensions in the United States.

 

The decision by Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley not to charge police officer Rusten Sheskey with any crime could incite more demonstrations, which have frequently broken out in the United States in recent years after police have been cleared of wrongdoing in shootings of African Americans.

 

During a police intervention in a domestic dispute that was captured on cellphone video, Sheskey shot at Blake's back seven times from close range as Blake opened the door of his car, striking him four times and paralyzing him from the waist down.

 

Officials said there was a knife inside Blake's car, and Graveley said Sheskey had the right to self-defense.

 

Blake's lawyer, Ben Crump, said Blake was attempting to break up a fight between two women when he was shot in front of three of his sons, aged 3, 5 and 8.

 

At the height of the protests that followed, teenager Kyle Rittenhouse opened fire with a Smith & Wesson M&P 15 rifle, killing two men and wounding another. Rittenhouse, now 18, was charged with first-degree reckless homicide and five other criminal counts.

 

Earlier Tuesday, Rittenhouse pleaded not guilty to all counts in an appearance by video in Kenosha County Circuit Court.

 

(Reporting by Brendan O'Brien; Additional reporting by Gabriella Borter; Writing by Daniel Trotta; Editing by Rosalba O'Brien and Grant McCool)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2021-01-06

 

- Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you

- Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

[Natai Beach]

Nothing new here. 
police kills a black guy

police say they will investigate 

police find the killer cop innocent

let the rioting begin

 

and repeat.

[impulse]

Sad to say, but I don't think the guy gave the cop too many options.  He had the door open, hopping into a 3000 pound weapon.  The cop with no taser had a choice of letting him drive off, tackling him at great personal risk (knife in car) or shooting him.

 

God knows how many people the guy could have killed once he was behind the wheel.

 

[simple1]

23 minutes ago, impulse said:

Sad to say, but I don't think the guy gave the cop too many options.  He had the door open, hopping into a 3000 pound weapon.  The cop with no taser had a choice of letting him drive off, tackling him at great personal risk (knife in car) or shooting him.

 

God knows how many people the guy could have killed once he was behind the wheel.

 

 

How did the officer know the deceased was reaching for a knife in the car? Does attempting to flee by vehicle, which hasn't been claimed before, mandate use of deadly force when no immediate threat to life of an officer? In any case the officer shot the deceased multiple times whilst he was bending over with the officer practically on top of him. At the very least it appears extremely poor training for officers in the area. No wonder police often face community relations issues in the US.

[mikebike]

59 minutes ago, impulse said:

Sad to say, but I don't think the guy gave the cop too many options.  He had the door open, hopping into a 3000 pound weapon.  The cop with no taser had a choice of letting him drive off, tackling him at great personal risk (knife in car) or shooting him.

 

God knows how many people the guy could have killed once he was behind the wheel.

 

The correct answer is let him drive off. You got the plate number. He'd be in custody an hour later and not dead.

[Tug]

This one imo they got it wrong that cop screwed up big time this one is a miscarriage of justic imo mikebike is 100% spot on this is another example of why folks are fed up with this kinda skrew up there should be consequences 

[scorecard]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Prosecutors clear white police officer over Jacob Blake shooting in Kenosha, Wisconsin

By Brendan O'Brien

 

Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley leads a news conference to announce a decision on whether any of the Kenosha Police Officers involved in the August 23, 2020 shooting of Black man Jacob Blake will face criminal charges, in Kenosha, Wisconsin, U.S. January 5, 2021. REUTERS/Daniel Acker

 

KENOSHA, Wisc. (Reuters) - Prosecutors on Tuesday cleared a white police officer in the Aug. 23 shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, in Kenosha, Wisconsin, an incident that touched off deadly street protests and inflamed racial tensions in the United States.

 

The decision by Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley not to charge police officer Rusten Sheskey with any crime could incite more demonstrations, which have frequently broken out in the United States in recent years after police have been cleared of wrongdoing in shootings of African Americans.

 

During a police intervention in a domestic dispute that was captured on cellphone video, Sheskey shot at Blake's back seven times from close range as Blake opened the door of his car, striking him four times and paralyzing him from the waist down.

 

Officials said there was a knife inside Blake's car, and Graveley said Sheskey had the right to self-defense.

 

Blake's lawyer, Ben Crump, said Blake was attempting to break up a fight between two women when he was shot in front of three of his sons, aged 3, 5 and 8.

 

At the height of the protests that followed, teenager Kyle Rittenhouse opened fire with a Smith & Wesson M&P 15 rifle, killing two men and wounding another. Rittenhouse, now 18, was charged with first-degree reckless homicide and five other criminal counts.

 

Earlier Tuesday, Rittenhouse pleaded not guilty to all counts in an appearance by video in Kenosha County Circuit Court.

 

(Reporting by Brendan O'Brien; Additional reporting by Gabriella Borter; Writing by Daniel Trotta; Editing by Rosalba O'Brien and Grant McCool)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2021-01-06

 

- Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you

- Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

 

"...Officials said there was a knife inside Blake's car,..."

 

On that statement I guess it's possible every driver has some form of weapon in their car, therefore it's acceptable that officers shoot every driver they encounter. Sad.

[camble]

Hopefully, they won’t let Rittenhouse out on bail

[bunnydrops]

2 hours ago, impulse said:

Sad to say, but I don't think the guy gave the cop too many options.  He had the door open, hopping into a 3000 pound weapon.  The cop with no taser had a choice of letting him drive off, tackling him at great personal risk (knife in car) or shooting him.

 

God knows how many people the guy could have killed once he was behind the wheel.

 

7 times in the back?

[animalmagic]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

During a police intervention in a domestic dispute that was captured on cellphone video, Sheskey shot at Blake's back seven times from close range as Blake opened the door of his car, striking him four times and paralyzing him from the waist down.

 

Officials said there was a knife inside Blake's car, and Graveley said Sheskey had the right to self-defense.

The officer shot 7 times at the suspect's back at close range and only hit with 4!  Where was the threat posed by the suspect to any person at that time?  Even if he had a knife in the car there was no potential danger to the officer unless the suspect picked it up, turned round and threatened the officer with it.

As stated by Mikebike the officer should have let him go and created distance between them to give himself more time to assess and react appropriately.

I see no self defence in this action.

Theories of how many people the suspect could have killed driving a 3,000 weapon are irrelevant as it applies to any person on the road driving a vehicle; whether sane or slightly upset.

[animalmagic]

5 minutes ago, bunnydrops said:

7 times in the back?

He only hit with four of them.  Does not suggest an aimed or considered shooting.

[spiekerjozef]

It was a duel and the officer did draw his colt the quickest.

[Jeffr2]

The police get away with these things way too often.  Time to get tough with the police when these things happen.  They are way quick to shoot before getting all the info in the US.  Time for a change.  And sadly, people of color suffer the most.

[Pedrogaz]

Anyone cop who shoots someone in the back, especially seven times, deserves a life long prison sentence. 

[surfinglife]

8 hours ago, Natai Beach said:

Nothing new here. 
police kills a black guy

police say they will investigate 

police find the killer cop innocent

let the rioting begin

 

and repeat.

Police kills a white guy

Police says it will investigate

Police finds the killer cop innocent

No rioting

 

Spot the difference.

 

Police are colour blind and so should we all be.

Amen

[Jeffr2]

1 minute ago, surfinglife said:

Police kills a white guy

Police says it will investigate

Police finds the killer cop innocent

No rioting

 

Spot the difference.

 

Police are colour blind and so should we all be.

Amen

Yeah.  That happens like 1 in 500 cases.  Read up on the problems with the police in the US.  A big part is the strength of the union which helps them from being fired or going to jail.  That needs to change.  Enough is enough.

[stevenl]

9 minutes ago, surfinglife said:

Police kills a white guy

Police says it will investigate

Police finds the killer cop innocent

No rioting

 

Spot the difference.

 

Police are colour blind and so should we all be.

Amen

"Police are colour blind"

Do you really believe that?

[spidermike007]

This seems to be a clear case of homicide on the part of the cop. Even if Blake had a knife in the car, he was in the process of driving away. Rusten Sheskey is a murderer. There were three of Blake's  children in the back seat. Sheskey lied, and said he shot Blake, because he thought he was kidnapping the children. That was absolute nonsense, and there was nothing to indicate that. He could have shot him in the leg. He could have shot out the tires. There were a dozen different courses of action this horrible man could have taken, besides shoot Blake 7 times in the back. That was the act of an extreme coward, with terrible judgment, who should not have a badge. He is a menace to society. 

 

Justice does not seem to have prevailed here. It rarely does when a black man is shot by a cop in the US. Being black is a terrible fate in America. Always has been. I have many black friends, and have witnessed the poor treatment and profiling firsthand. 

[JulesMad]

It's america... No surprises at all

[AgMech Cowboy]

8 hours ago, Natai Beach said:

Nothing new here. 
police kills a black guy

police say they will investigate 

police find the killer cop innocent

let the rioting begin

 

and repeat.

Has nothing to do with 'color'.

 

Police give instruction, 

Person refuses to follow instruction,

Person reaches for 'something' hidden from sight,

Person gets shot.

Person is Black, let the rioting begin.  The race card has been dealt.

[Jeffr2]

3 minutes ago, AgMech Cowboy said:

Has nothing to do with 'color'.

 

Police give instruction, 

Person refuses to follow instruction,

Person reaches for 'something' hidden from sight,

Person gets shot.

Person is Black, let the rioting begin.  The race card has been dealt.

Sounds a bit racist.  I guarantee you have NO idea what it's like to be a person of color in the US.  Doubt you'd like it.

[Natai Beach]

20 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Being black is a terrible fate in America. Always has been. I have many black friends, and have witnessed the poor treatment and profiling firsthand. 

 

what is it about American culture that makes it this way? Why do people put up with it?

[AgMech Cowboy]

18 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

he was in the process of driving away

Maybe you should watch the video again. He was clearly reaching for 'something'. He failed to follow the police instructions. I'm very sad for Blake, but the officer has the right to react. At no time was Blake attempting to "drive away".

[Jeffr2]

2 minutes ago, AgMech Cowboy said:

Maybe you should watch the video again. He was clearly reaching for 'something'. He failed to follow the police instructions. I'm very sad for Blake, but the officer has the right to react. At no time was Blake attempting to "drive away".

So reaching for 'something' warrants getting shot in the back 7 times in front of your children?  Seriously?  You've got to be kidding.

[AgMech Cowboy]

44 minutes ago, stevenl said:

"Police are colour blind"

Do you really believe that?

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/09/us/police-shooting-video-arizona.html

 

Probably not completely color blind. They actually kill whites, too. No riots.

[Jeffr2]

4 minutes ago, AgMech Cowboy said:

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/09/us/police-shooting-video-arizona.html

 

Probably not completely color blind. They actually kill whites, too. No riots.

You don't get it.  Police injustice against persons of color is real.  And well documented.

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6080222/

Victims were majority white (52%) but disproportionately black (32%) with a fatality rate 2.8 times higher among blacks than whites. Most victims were reported to be armed (83%); however, black victims were more likely to be unarmed (14.8%) than white (9.4%) or Hispanic (5.8%) victims.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

The OP article here is pretty thin on details and explanation of the prosecutor's rationale...

 

But a couple things stand out:

 

--Did Blake have a knife in his hand when he was shot?  AFAIK, the answer is no. The argues in favor of the shooting being unjustified.

 

--If Blake didn't have the knife in his hand at the time of the shooting, weren't there other methods/actions less severe the officer could have taken to restrain Blake than shooting him in the back multiple times.

 

--Wonder if the incoming U.S. Justice Department Civil Rights Division can review the local prosecutor's decision and consider their own case against the officer involved.

 

[AgMech Cowboy]

28 minutes ago, Jeffr2 said:

So reaching for 'something' warrants getting shot in the back 7 times in front of your children?  Seriously?  You've got to be kidding.

You're the officer. Turns out the "something" is a gun. You get shot. Maybe you go home. Maybe you don't. Still has nothing to do with race or color. Has everything to do with following instructions.

Edited January 6, 2021 by AgMech Cowboy
spelling correction

[Jeffr2]

Worth a read.  Shows the problems with the police.

 

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/why-its-still-so-rare-for-police-officers-to-face-legal-consequences-for-misconduct/

 

[Jeffr2]

2 minutes ago, AgMech Cowboy said:

Your the officer. Turns out the "something" is a gun. You get shot. Maybe you go home. Maybe you don't. Still has nothing to do with race or color. Has everything to do with following instructions.

You don't seem to understand the race problem in the US.  Did you read my article?  Doubt it....

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53954181

While there is no specific rule for every single scenario, both experts note that as far as we know, Mr Blake was not being arrested or wanted for any heinous crime (like mass murder).

 

Prof Burkhalter adds that in the moments leading up to the shots, officers "passed through several decision points where, arguably, they could have made more effective decisions", like tackling him or tasing him again.

 

"When someone resists arrest and they attempt to walk away, which happens often...that in and of itself is not carte blanche to use deadly physical force, period."