Thursday 27 August 2020

FOURTH NIGHT OF VIOLENCE IN WISCONSIN, POLICE OFFICER WHO KILLED JACOB BLAKE IDENTIFIED

 South Front

27.08.2020 

Fourth Night Of Violence In Wisconsin, Police Officer Who Killed Jacob Blake Identified

On August 26th, residents took to the streets for a fourth night of violence-filled riots.

Authorities identified the police officer who shot Jacob Blake, whose killing led to the riots.

The Department of Justice also announced several other details, including that Blake had a knife and that officers first used a stun gun on him.

A video showing an alternative angle was also published online.

Video

According to the Department of Justice statement police officers attempted to arrest Jacob Blake, but without saying what the reason is.

Officers attempted to stun Blake, “however the taser was not successful in stopping” him, according to the statement.

The officer who shot Blake was identified as Rusten Sheskey, who has been with the Kenosha Police Department for seven years. He fired seven shots, and was the only officer to fire his weapon, the DOJ said.

According to the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, which is leading the probe into the incident, officers initially responded to the scene after a woman called to report that her boyfriend was at her home but “was not supposed to be” there.

On August 26th, at least three people were shot during the protests overnight in Kenosha, some 40 miles south of Milwaukee, and two of the victims died from their injuries, according to the Kenosha Police Department.

The third gunshot victim was taken to a hospital with “serious, but non-life-threatening injuries,” police said.

Due to the violence, US President Donald Trump and Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers mobilized additional members of the National Guard to Kenosha.

Cellphone video from the protest on August 25th protests showed a white man armed with what appeared to be a semiautomatic rifle running past police and being chased by demonstrators. The footage showed the man trip and fall and appear to open fire on demonstrators. He then is seen running away.

The alleged gunman surrendered himself to police in Antioch, Illinois, in the “pre-dawn hours” on August 26th.

He was identified as 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse and was arrested based on a warrant issued by Kenosha County authorities charging him with first-degree intentional homicide, police said.

He was also being held on a charge of “fugitive from justice,” for purposes of extradition to Wisconsin, at the Lake County Juvenile Detention Center in Vernon Hills, Illinois, authorities said.

Tony Evers gave a press conference calling on citizens to cease the violence.

Exactly two months earlier, on June 26th, US Senator Tim Carpenter was assaulted by protesters in Wisconsin for attempting to film them.

MORE ON THE TOPIC:


River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian   
The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Blog!

No comments: