Jacob Blake Sues Kenosha Officer Who Shot Him Seven Times, Leaving Him Paralyzed
Jacob Blake, the Black man who was shot seven times by a white Kenosha officer and left paralyzed last summer, has now filed a federal civil lawsuit against said cop, identified as Kenosha Police Officer Rusten Sheskey.
In January 2021, Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley announced that none of the officers involved in Blake’s August 2020 shooting would be charged, leading to weeks of protests. As we reported, the incident occurred as Sheskey and two other officers were trying to arrest him for an outstanding sexual assault warrant. During the incident, Sheskey shot Blake seven times, hitting him in his spine and leaving him paralyzed from the waist down.
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In November 2020, state officials dropped the sexual assault charges against Blake; however, he was given no justice in his August 2020 shooting. As of Thursday (Mar. 25), Blake, along with civil rights attorneys Ben Crump, Patrick A. Salvi II and B’Ivory LaMarr, filed a lawsuit against Sheskey in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. In the 19-page suit, it’s alleged that Blake made zero physical or verbal threats toward any of the officers during the incident, instead, he repeatedly tried to disengage them by walking away from a violent attack perpetrated by the aggressive officers. It’s revealed that Blake is seeking “sufficient compensation for his injuries,” in addition to, “a substantial sum in punitive damages,” plus court costs. Blake’s attorneys are requesting a jury trial.
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