Wisconsin Sen. Steve Nass released a statement Friday issued by the Kenosha Professional Police Association (KPPA) and the officers involved in the Jacob Blake shooting, providing the officers’ version of events.
Kenosha Police Officer Rusten Sheskey shot Blake seven times in the back Aug. 23 after officers responded to a domestic disturbance call. Video of the incident went viral, inflaming racial tensions and causing riots and unrest that led to widespread destruction and two deaths in Kenosha.
“Senator Nass believes it is important that the public have a more complete presentation of the facts relating to the incident involving Jacob Blake,” the statement said.
KPPA’s statement characterized media framing of the shooting as a “purely fictional depiction of events coming from those without direct knowledge of what actually occurred.”
“Unfortunately, even the incident update from the Wisconsin Department of Justice, Division of Criminal Investigation (‘DCI’) — the agency charged with investigating the incident independently — is riddled with incomplete information, and omits important details that would help to paint a more complete picture of the incident,” the statement said.
Here is the complete list of details as published in the KPPA statement:
In response to the union’s version of events, Blake’s father — also named Jacob Blake — told the Chicago Sun-Times, “They don’t matter to me. I don’t care what the union did. One of their guys put seven [bullets] in my son.”
Regarding the specific allegation that Blake was holding a knife, his father said, “I don’t even have comment on that. It’s a lie. I don’t need to justify that with an answer. … Ask them where they found the knife.”
Raysean White, the 22-year-old man who captured the now widespread video of Sheskey shooting Blake, told NBC News he saw “police out there wrestling” with Blake behind the vehicle. He said he saw a female officer fire a stun gun at Blake just before White started recording.
“They were also yelling, ‘Drop the knife,’” White told NBC News. “I didn’t see any weapons in his hands. He wasn’t being violent.”
Here's a video of the shooting that happened in Kenosha, Wisconsin. This video shows the shooting of Jacob Blake from a different vantage point. pic.twitter.com/d2CYIis6Zm
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) August 24, 2020
Misinformation regarding Blake’s arrest warrant for third-degree sexual assault circulated online after several commenters promoted the idea that the charge relates to sex with a minor.
According to a criminal complaint filed by the Kenosha County District Attorney’s office in July, Blake is accused of having entered the home of his ex-girlfriend — also the mother of his three children — without her permission around 6 a.m. May 3 and sexually assaulting her, taking her car and debit card, and making two ATM withdrawals of $500 each.
The full complaint can be read here. Readers may find the details of the alleged assault and domestic abuse disturbing.
Ethan E. Rocke is a contributor and former senior editor for Coffee or Die Magazine, a New York Times bestselling author, and award-winning photographer and filmmaker. He is a veteran of the US Army and Marine Corps. His work has been published in Maxim Magazine, American Legion Magazine, and many others. He is co-author of The Last Punisher: A SEAL Team THREE Sniper’s True Account of the Battle of Ramadi.
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