DOJ won’t seek charges against the officer who shot Jacob Blake in Kenosha

MADISON, Wis. — Federal prosecutors announced Friday that they won’t file charges against a white police officer who shot Jacob Blake in Wisconsin last year.

Officer Rusten Sheskey shot Blake, who is Black, during a domestic disturbance in Kenosha in August 2020. The shooting left Blake paralyzed from the waist down and sparked several nights of protests. An Illinois man shot three people, killing two of them, during one of the demonstrations.

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State prosecutors decided not to file charges against Sheskey in January after video showed that Blake had been armed with a knife.

The U.S. Department of Justice launched its own investigation days after the shooting. The agency announced Friday that it won’t pursue charges against Sheskey either, saying there’s not enough evidence to prove he used excessive force or violated Blake’s federal rights.