Some four months after graphic video identified the officer who shot 29-year-old Jacob Blake in the back seven times, leaving Blake paralyzed, prosecutors have declined to bring charges against Officer Rusten Sheskey . No other officers will be charged, either. “This was a tragedy first and foremost for Jacob Blake,” District Attorney Michael Graveley , the top prosecutor for Kenosha, Wisconsin, said during an hour-long press conference, that Blake is suffering every day from his injuries. Filmed by 22-year-old Raysean White , the footage showed Blake walking away from officers and attempting to get into his SUV, where his three sons were waiting. That is when an officer now identified as Sheskey, fired seven shots, repeatedly hitting Blake in the back. As Blake slumped over the wheel, the vehicle’s horn honked, and witnesses screamed. The familiar sight of a Black man being shot by a white officer in a viral video went viral, leading to unrest in the city that led Graveley alluded to by warning the public against burning property. After long preliminary reflections about the toll on Blake and his family, Graveley added: “Today, there’s a very narrow decision of what must be made.” That question is whether there is enough evidence for prosecutors to persuade a jury to convict the officers beyond a reasonable doubt, one that Graveley ultimately answered in the negative. “No Kenosha officer in this case will be charged with a criminal offense,” he concluded, adding that Blake also will not be charged. Graveley played a 911 call reporting domestic abuse, and he said that officers learned that Blake had a felony warrant seeking his arrest for an alleged sexual assault. His remarks are ongoing. This is a developing story… [Image via CBS This Morning screengrab]
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