United States: police officers involved in Jacob Blake case will not be prosecuted
Kenosha County District Attorney Micahel Graveley announced that there would be no prosecution of the officer who shot Jacob Blake on Jan. 5 at a press conference.
AFP - SCOTT OLSON
Text by: RFI Follow
3 min
The police officers involved in the shootings which seriously injured African-American Jacob Blake will not be prosecuted, announced Tuesday (January 5th) the prosecutor in charge of this case, which had rekindled anti-racist anger in the United States at the end of the summer .
Publicity
Read more
"
Based on the facts and the law, we have decided that no charges will be brought
" against the three officers involved in the tragedy, local prosecutor Michael Graveley told a press conference.
According to him, the author of the shootings, Rusten Sheskey, did well in a state of self-defense.
Jacob Blake
was on an arrest warrant for domestic violence when his ex contacted the police, he said.
When the agents wanted to arrest him, "
he resisted with a knife
", explained Michael Graveley.
According to him, an officer fired when the young man made a "
quick
"
spinning motion
towards him, which he perceived as "
a threat
".
"Justify the unjustifiable"
But his arguments did not convince defenders of Jacob Blake.
“
They are trying to justify the unjustifiable,
” denounced family lawyer B'Ivory Lamarr.
“
It's a huge disappointment,
” he continued.
This shows that in 2021, there are still three justice systems: one for blacks, one for the police and one for other Americans
”.
Anticipating the announcement, Kenosha City Council has declared a state of emergency in the city of 100,000 people in the Great Lakes region, and 500 members of the National Guard are ready to be deployed should violence break out.
Nights of riots
On August 23, Jacob Blake, 29, was shot several times in the back in front of his three sons as he tried to get into a car.
Seriously injured, he lost the use of his legs.
The scene, filmed by a witness, was quickly posted on the internet.
The case had sparked
three nights of riots in Kenosha
and culminated on August 25 when a 17-year-old man linked to self-defense militias fired a semi-automatic rifle at three protesters, killing two.
His arrest the next day had brought a precarious calm to this Wisconsin town.
The young man, Kyle Rittenhouse, was later released on bail of two million dollars.
On Tuesday, he pleaded not guilty.
►
To listen and read: Good morning from Kenosha, city symbol of the divisions of America of Trump
Newsletter
Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox
I subscribe
Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application
google-play-badge_FR
United States