The Wisconsin police officer who was seen on video shooting Jacob Blake seven times in the back has been publicly identified. On Wednesday, three days after the incident that has drawn national outrage, the Wisconsin Department of Justice’s Division of Criminal Investigation named Rusten Sheskey as the Kenosha Police Department officer who opened fire.
Sheskey was identified in a statement released Wednesday, which detailed the events of the shooting. According to the report, Shesky and other Kenosha Police Department officers were dispatched to a residence after receiving a call from a woman who said that her boyfriend was at home. However, he was not supposed to be on the premise. When officers arrived at the scene, they attempted to arrest Blake, 29, and deployed a taser, which was “unsuccessful,” the DOJ said. The DOJ report said that Blake then “walked around his vehicle, opened the driver’s side door, and leaned forward.” The DOJ noted that Shesky, who had grabbed hold of Blake’s shirt, fired his weapon seven times into Blake’s back. No other officers fired their weapons.
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Blake was provided immediate medical aid on the scene, according to the statement, and was transported via Flight for Life to Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee, where he remains in the ICU. Blake’s family has said that at least one bullet tore through his spinal cord and other shots damaged his kidney, liver, and arm. He has since undergone surgery and has been left paralyzed from the waist down. It is not yet known if the paralysis is permanent.
According to the DOJ, upon further investigation, Blake admitted that he had a knife in his possession and authorities were able to retrieve it from the driver’s side floorboard of the car. No other weapons were found. The Division of Criminal Investigation is investigating the incident with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Wisconsin State Patrol, and Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office. DCI is “continuing to review evidence,” which does not include body cameras, as the Kenosha Police Department have not been equipped with them. A bystander, however, did capture cellphone footage of the shooting, which has since gone viral and sparked outrage.
In the wake of Blake’s shooting, continuous nights of protests have taken place in Kenosha. Nightly curfews have been put in place, and Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers has since declared a state of emergency, ordering 250 Wisconsin National Guard troops to the city. All officers involved in the Sunday incident have been placed on administrative leave.
