Kenosha Police Officer Who Shot Jacob Blake Returns to Duty

Kenosha Police Chief Daniel Miskinis announced Tuesday that all investigations into Officer Rusten Sheskey’s shooting of Jacob Blake on Aug. 23, 2020, are concluded and he has returned to duty as of March 31. Sheskey acted within policy, according to the review of the incident by the Kenosha Police Department, an outside agency, the Kenosha County district attorney, and an independent expert, according to a media release from KPD.

“Officer Sheskey was not charged with any wrong doing. He acted within the law and was consistent with training,” reads Miskinis’ statement. “Officer Sheskey was found to have been acting within policy and will not be subjected to discipline.”

Sheskey and his partner, Officer Vincent Arenas, responded to a domestic disturbance call and ended up in a physical altercation with Blake. Blake was able to break free from the officers and at some point brandished a knife as he walked around the front of the silver SUV seen in the viral video. When Blake attempted to climb into the vehicle, Sheskey grabbed hold of his shirt and, shortly after, fired seven shots directly into Blake.

The shooting left Blake partially paralyzed and rekindled protests and riots throughout the country that had started up following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody. Multiple state National Guard units were activated to help quell the unrest, while authorities encouraged peaceful protests in response to the instances of police using force to effect an arrest.

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Joshua Skovlund

Staff writer

Joshua is a staff writer for Coffee or Die Magazine. He has covered the 75th anniversary of D-Day in France, multinational military exercises in Germany, and civil unrest during the 2020 riots in Minneapolis that followed the death of George Floyd. Born and raised in small-town South Dakota, Joshua grew up playing football and soccer before serving as a forward observer in the US Army. After leaving the service, he earned his CrossFit Level 1 certificate and worked as a personal trainer while earning his paramedic license. Joshua went on to work in paramedicine for more than five years, much of that time in the North Minneapolis area, before transitioning to a career in multimedia journalism. Joshua is married, has two children, and is currently pursuing his bachelor’s degree in multimedia journalism. His creative outlets include Skovlund Photography and Concentrated Emotion, which is where he publishes poetry focused on his life experiences.