Some Details Released in Jacob Blake Shooting

Meanwhile, Fox News host appears to defend teen who killed protesters
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 27, 2020 1:18 AM CDT
Cop Who Shot Jacob Blake IDed
A person in a car raises her fist in solidarity with a march protesting the Sunday police shooting of Jacob Blake, in Kenosha, Wis., Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2020.   (AP Photo/David Goldman)

The police officer who shot Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Sunday, sparking ongoing protests, was Rusten Sheskey. His identity was revealed by the state's attorney general Wednesday, the BBC reports. The seven-year veteran of the force is on administrative leave, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports. No other officers fired their weapons, but all involved officers have been placed on leave. Blake was shot seven times in the back, reportedly paralyzing him, as he opened the door of his car; his children were inside. Authorities still have not made it clear why he was shot, but the AG did on Wednesday offer a few more details: A woman had called police to report her boyfriend was on the premises when he shouldn't be there. It's not clear whether Blake was the person the woman was calling about; his lawyer has said he was attempting to "de-escalate a domestic incident" when officers drew their guns.

Upon arrival to the scene, cops attempted, unsuccessfully, to use a taser on Blake and were trying to arrest him when he was shot. Sheskey was holding his shirt at the time. The AG also said a knife was found in Blake's car, but no other weapons. Per NBC News, the AG said Blake was near the knife when he was shot, but wouldn't say whether he was holding the knife or whether the responding officers knew about the knife. Blake did tell police about it in an interview after the shooting. The US Department of Justice has opened a civil rights probe into the shooting, CNN reports. Meanwhile, on Fox News Wednesday night, Tucker Carlson appeared to defend the actions of the teen who allegedly killed two protesters, the Guardian reports: "Kenosha has devolved into anarchy because the authorities in charge of the city abandoned it. ... So are we really surprised that looting and arson accelerated to murder? How shocked are we that 17-year-olds with rifles decided they had to maintain order when no one else would?” (More Jacob Blake stories.)

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