KENOSHA, Wis. — The district attorney on Tuesday cleared Officer Rusten Sheskey of the Kenosha Police Department in the Aug. 23 shooting of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin, an incident that touched off deadly riots and protests in the United States, which were already set in motion due to the custodial death of George Floyd a few months earlier in Minneapolis, Minn., Law Officer reported.
How the Media Got It Wrong—Completely Wrong
During a press conference, Kenosha District Attorney Michael Gravely debunked false claims made by the media and activists.
“There are many commands disobeyed and that’s not only talked about by all the officers, but that’s admitted by Jacob Blake in his statements and there are a number of civilians who talk about that as well,” Gravely said. “And there are multiple ways that officers try to bring Jacob Blake into custody, again, none of those I think visible in any of the videos. They try to direct him to the ground, they try to grab, multiple officers try to grab his arms and secure him so he can be cuffed. He admits at one point officers were trying to ‘handcuff me but I was able to get up.’”
“There’s a time where he’s down on the ground … where a really close viewing of it shows Jacob Blake is on top of someone who has to be Officer Sheskey based on everyone else and Officer Sheskey says, ‘I was on top of him and then he was on top of me as we were grappling for me trying to get him under arrest,’” Gravely continued. “Most importantly, he was tased twice using remote penetrators and once with a direct strike with Taser. So, I’m going to suggest to you three attempts were made to tase Jacob Blake to get him in compliance.”
Jacob Blake Was Armed: He Admited It, But The Media Ignored It
Gravely then debunked a key false claim that was promoted by the media and left-wing activists.
“Very important, Jacob Blake, while actively resisting, arms himself with a knife,” Gravely said. “I continue to hear, I think I heard it at the rally last night, the vigil, where someone again said he was unarmed. It is absolutely incontrovertible that Jacob Blake was armed with a knife during this encounter. Incontrovertible. Most incontrovertible, because Jacob Blake in all of the times he spoke to DCI, admits he possessed a knife.”
WATCH PRESS CONFERENCE BELOW
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The media and left-wing activists continued to make the false claim that Blake was “unarmed” on social media even during the press conference where Gravely said that it was not true, Daily Wire reported.
Some of the Worst Offenders: AKA “Journalists”
Notable examples of “journalists” who ignored the facts and evidence—and promoted false claims about Blake being “unarmed” on Twitter include:
- The Washington Post: “Police officers won’t be charged in shooting of Jacob Blake, an unarmed Black man who was shot 7 times in the back in Kenosha, Wis.”
- CNN Commentator Keith Boykin: “…Kenosha police officer Rusten Sheskey shoots unarmed Black man, Jacob Blake, seven times in the back and faces no charges.”
- NBC News reporter Priscilla Thompson: “No charges to be brought against the Kenosha police officers who shot Jacob Blake an unarmed black man, per the D.A.’s office. The shooting resulted in Blake being paralyzed.”
- ABC 7 reporter Nichole Gomez: “Officer who shot unarmed Jacob Blake will not face charges…”
- Spectrum Bay News 9: “The Kenosha County District Attorney has decided to not file charges against the police officers involved in the shooting of Jacob Blake, an unarmed Black man.”
- Reporter Brie Jackson: “Blake was shot seven times by police. He was unarmed and getting into a vehicle where his children were inside. Blake survived but is paralyzed. Today’s decision is another example of police shooting an unarmed Black person without criminal consequences.”
- Reporter Donovan Long: “No officers charged in the shooting of Jacob Blake. He was an unarmed Black man at the time an officer shot him 7 times in the back in Kenosha, Wisconsin.”
- BuzzFeed News: “Rusten Sheskey shot Blake, an unarmed Black man, in the back seven times, paralyzing him from the waist down and sparking deadly protests in Wisconsin.”
Time to Demand Greater Accountability from Politicians & The Media
Never mind all the demands for “greater accountability” from law enforcement. The Jacob Blake case shows how we must demand greater accountability from corporate news and social media—and politicians who pander and promise instead of stick to the facts.
