Police have released some details from the Jacob Blake shooting, the most notable of which is that he admitted to having a knife which police found in the driver’s side floorboard of his vehicle.
Here’s the short version of what they released:
WI AG'S KENOSHA UPDATE:
-Woman called police: boyfriend wasn't supposed to be there
-Police tried arresting #JacobBlake; taser didn't stop
-He walked around car, opened door, reached in
-Officer Rusten Sheskey fired 7 Xs
-Blake admitted he had knife
-Knife found on driver's side— Jason Calvi (@JasonCalvi) August 26, 2020
Here’s more:
NBC 5 CHICAGO – Authorities on Wednesday released some of the first details surrounding the police shooting of Jacob Blake, which has since sparked nationwide outrage and days of unrest in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
According to the Wisconsin Department of Justice, police were called to the 2800 block of 40th Street Sunday after a woman said her boyfriend “was present and was not supposed to be on the premises.”
Officers arrived at the scene and attempted to arrest 29-year-old Blake, at one point using a Taser in an attempt to stop him, but that attempt was unsuccessful, the DOJ said.
“Mr. Blake walked around his vehicle, opened the driver’s side door, and leaned forward,” a press release from the department read. “While holding onto Mr. Blake’s shirt, Officer Rusten Sheskey fired his service weapon 7 times. Officer Sheskey fired the weapon into Mr. Blake’s back. No other officer fired their weapon.”
No body cameras…
Authorities noted that the Kenosha Police Department does not have body cameras, “therefore the officers were not wearing body cameras.”
Blake admitted to having a knife…
According to the release, Blake admitted to investigators that he did have a knife at the time and a knife was recovered from the driver’s side floorboard of his vehicle. No other weapons were found, the report said.
The officers “immediately provided medical aid,” the DOJ said, and Blake was taken to Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee, where he remains.
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.
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.
While they don’t say it explicitly, it sounds like Blake was reaching for the knife when he opened the door of the vehicle. Meaning the shooting was justified. The officers had already tried tasing him and it didn’t work, for whatever reason. They were left with no choice but to shoot him in their own self defense.
But hey, good job Lebron James and the NBA for jumping to conclusions and blaming cops. That’s just what this nation needs right now you morons.