According to a DoJ press release, there is no body camera footage of the incident, as the Kenosha Police Department does not have any body cameras.
— Matt Smith (@mattsmith_news) August 26, 2020
During an investigation following the incident, Blake admitted to having a knife in his possession. The DoJ Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) recovered the knife from the driver's side floorboard of Blake's car. No additional weapons were found in the car.
According to the release, officers were dispatched to a residence in Kenosha on Sunday after a female caller said that her boyfriend was present and was not supposed to be on the premises.
During the altercation, law officers deployed a taser on Blake. However, the taser was "not successful" in "stopping" him, according to the release.
"While holding onto Mr. Blake's shirt, Officer Rusten Sheskey fired his service weapon 7 times. Officer Sheskey fired the weapon into Mr. Blake's back. No other officer fired their weapon," the release explains.
Blake was immediately transported to the Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee. The DCI is still reviewing the evidence connected to the incident and will provide reports to a prosecutor after a thorough investigation has been completed.
Blake's family on Tuesday said that he is still in serious condition and that he is paralyzed from the waist down.
“They shot my son seven times,” Jacob Blake Sr., his father, said during an emotional news briefing on Tuesday afternoon, the Washington Post reported. “Seven times. Like he didn’t matter. But my son matters. He’s a human being, and he matters.”
Following Blake's shooting, protests have erupted in Kenosha, with Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers declaring a state of emergency on Tuesday and ordering additional Wisconsin National Guard troops to support local law enforcement. On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump also tweeted that he would be sending federal law enforcement and the National Guard to Kenosha.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 26, 2020
On Wednesday, 17-year-old Illinois teen Kyle Rittenhouse was charged with first-degree intentional homicide for using firearms to "resolve whatever conflict was in place" during a protest in Kenosha, said Kenosha Police Chief Daniel Miskinis NPR reported. Two people were killed, and a third was wounded.
