[UPDATE] Prosecutor: Police Officers Involved In Jacob Blake Shooting, Will Not Face Charges
Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley also announced Tuesday that Jacob Blake will not face charges. Blake who was accused of sexual assault by his girlfriend and was allegedly armed and resisted arrest.
"It is absolutely incontrovertible that Jacob Blake was armed with a knife during this encounter," Graveley said at a press conference.
Sheskey, who is White, shot Blake during a response to an Aug. 23 domestic disturbance call. Video footage of the incident captured Blake walking away from the officer and around a vehicle with his children inside when he was shot several times.
The shooting left Blake paralyzed and sparked protests that devolved into riots. The unrest included two fatal shootings and destruction to property.
==============================
[UPDATE] Jacob Blake Shooting: Three People Shot In The Kenosha, Wisconsin Riots
Black Lives Matter and antifa militants were out in force causing mayhem for a third night in Kenosha, following the Killing of Jacob Blake. Two people -- Anthony Huber, 26, and Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, -- were shot to death and another Gaige Grosskreutz, 26, was wounded.
According to eyewitness reports , antifa and BLM militants descended on the streets lighting fires and smashing cars and windows of shops.
Unlike the previous two nights, a group of armed civilians showed up to protect what remains of their businesses and neighborhood.
A video circulating online shows a confrontation between both sides. One of the militants, Rosenbaum, a registered sex offender, can be seen aggressively taunting the armed civilians, daring them to shoot him. "Shoot me nigga," he screams at a black armed civilian.
Daily Caller's Richie McGinniss interviewed one of the armed civilians, Kyle Rittenhouse, earlier. The 17 year-old said he was there to protect the businesses and help the wounded.
A video posted online by The Blaze's reporter Elijah Schafer shows moments before shots rang out. Antifa and BLM militants are seen smashing cars at an auto shop.
Another video by AntifaWatch.us shows the far left militants(some of them armed with pistols) chasing Rittenhouse. Rosenbaum is seen throwing something at him.
One of the militants pulls out a pistol and fires. Rittenhouse then returns fire. Rosenbaum was shot through the head. A Daily Caller reporter and others tried to keep him alive, but he later died.
Another video shows the far left mob, including Huber and Grosskreutz, chasing Rittenhouse as he jogged down the street. He stumbles and falls.
Huber is seen hitting Rittenhouse with a skateboard.
Rittenhouse then fires off several shots hitting Huber in the chest, and Grosskreutz in the upper right arm.
According to Kenosha police Lt. Joseph Nosalik, the shooting was reported around 11:45 pm Tuesday.
Antioch police department announced the arrest of Kyle Rittenhouse in a Facebook post Wednesday. He was taken into custody in Illinois.
The State's Attorney's office in Lake County, Illinois, said Rittenhouse was in bond court this morning regarding being a fugitive from justice in Wisconsin, and is being held on no bond. He was due back in court for an extradition hearing on Friday.
Wisconsin Department of Justice on Wednesday, gave an update on Jacob Blake shooting.
In a statement, the DOJ said Kenosha Police Department officers were dispatched to a residence in the 2800 block of 40th Street after a female caller reported that her boyfriend was present and was not supposed to be on the premises.
During the incident, officers attempted to arrest Jacob S. Blake, age 29. Law enforcement deployed a taser to attempt to stop Mr. Blake, however the taser was not successful in stopping Mr. Blake.
Mr. Blake walked around his vehicle, opened the driver’s side door, and leaned forward. While holding onto Mr. Blake’s shirt, Officer Rusten Sheskey fired his service weapon 7 times.
====================
Kenosha, Wisconsin was ravaged by riots for a second night following the shooting of 29 year-old Jacob Blake by a police officer on Sunday.
A video of the shooting that circulated on social media showed Blake walking to a gray van, followed by two male police officers with weapons drawn.
As the man opens the door to get in, an officer grabs his shirt to hold him still, then appears to shoot him in the back. Seven shots are heard, followed by a car horn, presumably from the man's head falling forward.
Another footage that circulated online later, showed Blake brawling with police officers on the sidewalk before he was shot. He is seen breaking free after fighting with two cops and walking around the SUV to the driver’s side door.
The man who said he made the cellphone video, 22-year-old Raysean White, said he saw Blake scuffling with three officers and heard them yell, “Drop the knife! Drop the knife!” before the gunfire erupted.
The police department issued a statement confirming that Blake was shot while they were responding to a call about a domestic dispute. It said the sheriff’s department and Wisconsin State Patrol have taken over the scene. The state’s Department of Justice and its Division of Criminal Investigation will investigate the shooting.
The shooting sparked riots Sunday. Videos circulating online show Black Lives Matter militants looting and setting fires to businesses and cars.
At one point, a group of rioters armed with semi-automatic rifles shut down one street and ordered a Sheriff’s vehicle to stop. Video of the incident by journalist Drew Hernandez shows the vehicle deploying tear gas to disperse the rioters. Gun shots could be heard in the background.
The riots also spread to the Bradford Community Church, a far-left universalist religious organization. Ironically the church had a Black Lives Matter sign showing support for the movement, yet it was set ablaze by the rioters.
One police officer was reportedly hit in the head with what witnesses described as a brick, according to a video posted on social media.
The video posted by Twitter user @BotchlaUS on Sunday night shows a pair of officers walking around a police car amid a backdrop of fighting and small fires when the officer is seen suddenly collapsing to the ground.
Other police officers can be seen trying to help the injured cop as people in the background are heard yelling, “He just got bricked,” and, “Fuck the police.”
Wisconsin’s Democratic Gov. Tony Evers said 125 members of the National Guard would be in Kenosha on Monday night with responsibility for “guarding infrastructure and making sure our firefighters and others involved are protected.”
That did not stop the mayhem for a second night as rioters late Monday, targeted a car dealership that was seen up in flames during the first night.
A video posted by Daily Caller reporter Shelby Talcott shows that two dealerships -- including Car Source, a casualty of Kenosha’s first night of protests -- were targeted again during the second night. Flames roared at Car Source as other people in the area reportedly spent at least an hour trying to quell the blaze and prevent it from spreading to a neighboring home.
Police fired tear gas Monday about 30 minutes after the 8 p.m. curfew took effect to disperse rioters. But hundreds stuck around, screaming at police and lighting fires, including to a garbage truck near the courthouse.
Earlier Monday, after a news conference with Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian, originally to be held in a park, was moved inside the city’s public safety building, hundreds of protesters rushed to the building and a door was snapped off its hinges before police in riot gear pepper-sprayed the crowd.
Video game store Gravity Gaming Lounge, which had recently reopened after closing amid the wuhanvirus pandemic, was reportedly looted and severely damaged.
The wrote on Facebook: "For those that heard. We got looted. Everything in the store was taken and the place was destroyed. For a business that was struggling to get back to normal and pushing through these hard times we will not be able to come back from this. The damage to our building and the cost to replace the exterior damage and to top it off to replace everything stolen is going to be catastrophic.
"As we look to see the total costs, at this point we will be closing down completely. We want to thank everyone coming out and supporting us these past couple of years they have been great and we have definitely had fun. We wish everyone the best and pray you stay safe."
Online court records indicate Kenosha County prosecutors charged Blake on July 6 with sexual assault, trespassing and disorderly conduct in connection with domestic abuse. An arrest warrant was issued the following day. The records contain no further details and do not list an attorney for Blake.
Following the shooting Sunday, Wisconsin governor Tony Evers seemingly 'threw the police officers under the bus' in a ridiculous statement posted on Twitter.
He wrote: "Tonight, Jacob Blake was shot in the back multiple times, in broad daylight, in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Kathy and I join his family, friends, and neighbors in hoping earnestly that he will not succumb to his injuries.
"While we do not have all of the details yet, what we know for certain is that he is not the first Black man or person to have been shot or injured or mercilessly killed at the hands of individuals in law enforcement in our state or our country."
State Republicans legislators condemned Evers for his comments, which were issued just as protesters took to the streets in Kenosha and clashed with police.
“The best leaders attempt to diffuse situations, not escalate them,” said state Senator Van Wanggaard, a retired police officer from Racine, which is next to Kenosha. “Everyone should take a deep breath. ... We must let law and reason, not emotion, guide the next steps.”
Pete Deates, president of the Kenosha police union, called Evers’ statement “wholly irresponsible.”
“As always, the video currently circulating does not capture all the intricacies of a highly dynamic incident,” Deates said in a statement. “We ask that you withhold from passing judgment until all the facts are known and released.”
During a press conference Tuesday, with his attorney, Ben Crump, in Kenosha, Blake’s mother, Julia Jackson called for calm.
“As I drove through the city, I noticed a lot of damage. It doesn’t reflect my son or my family,” Jackson said, growing emotional. “If Jacob knew what was going on, as far as that goes, the violence and the destruction, he would be very unpleased. So I really am asking and encouraging everyone in Wisconsin and abroad to take a moment and examine your hearts.
“Citizens, police officers, firemen, clergy, politicians: do Jacob justice on this level and examine your hearts. We need healing. As I pray for my son’s healing, physically, emotionally and spiritually, I also have been praying, even before this, for the healing of our country.
“How dare we hate what we are. We are humans. God did not make one type of tree or flower or fish or grass or rock. How dare we you ask him to make one type of human that looks just like you. I am not talking to just caucasian people. I am talking to everyone. White, black, Japanese, Chinese, red, brown. No one is superior to the other. The only supreme being is God himself. Please, let’s begin to pray for healing for our nation.
“We are the United States. Have we been united? Do you understand what’s going to happen when we fall because a house that is against each other cannot stand. To all of the police officers, I am praying for you and your families. To all of the citizens, my black and brown sisters and brothers, I’m praying for you. I believe that you are an intelligent being just like the rest of us. Everybody. Let’s use our hearts, our love and our intelligence to work together to show the rest of the world how humans are supposed to treat each other. America is great when we behave greatly.”
Governor Evers has declared a state of emergency Tuesday, directing state agencies to continue assisting the state response. The Executive Order calls to state active duty, additional elements of the Wisconsin National Guard to support first responders and protect critical infrastructure and cultural institutions.