Rusten Sheskey, the police officer who shot Jacob Blake in the back last year, is back on the job according to a statement from City of Kenosha Police Department Chief Daniel Miskinis.
The shooting of Blake, a black man, by Sheskey, a white officer, sparked days of violent protests.
“The Kenosha Police use of force incident on August 23, 2020 was investigated by an outside agency; has been reviewed by an independent expert as well as the Kenosha County District Attorney. Officer Sheskey was not charged with any wrong doing. He acted within the law and was consistent with training. This incident was also reviewed internally. Officer Sheskey was found to have been acting within policy and will not be subjected to discipline,” Miskinis said in the statement.
“As of March 31, 2021, Officer Sheskey has returned from administrative leave. Although this incident has been reviewed at multiple levels, I know that some will not be pleased with the outcome; however, given the facts, the only lawful and appropriate decision was made,” the statement said.
District Attorney Michael Gravely in January said that the officer would not face criminal charges in connection with the shooting, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. In the wake of the shooting Blake is now paralyzed from his waist down.
“In the Kenosha incident, an investigation by the state Department of Justice found Blake was armed with a knife in the moments that led up to the shooting. Graveley said he could not disprove Sheskey’s claim that he feared for his life when he fired seven shots at Blake,” the outlet reported.
