On Tuesday, Kenosha Police Chief Daniel Miskinis announced that Sheskey has returned to work and will not face any disciplinary action. He cited internal and external reviews of the officer’s actions last August, which found that he had not broken any rules in the shootings.
“Although this incident has been reviewed at multiple levels, I know some will not be happy with the outcome,” Miskinis said in a statement. “However, given the facts, the only lawful and fair decision was taken.”
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Blake’s family, who are pursuing a lawsuit against Sheskey, have questioned the department’s decision.
“We are outraged as a family, as a community,” Justin Blake, Jacob Blake’s uncle, told WDYD. “They think it’s okay to put a cop in danger again for our children, for our seniors, it’s incomprehensible.”
The announcement comes as tension mounts across the country after Minnesota volunteer officer Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old unarmed black man, was shot dead in Minnesota, and during the ongoing trial of Derek Chauvin, the Minneapolis police officer who charged George Floyd is charged with the murder. On Tuesday, Officer Kimberly Potter, who shot Wright, resigned, as did the chief of police.
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The shooting in Kenosha, a lake town of around 100,000 people, took place after 5 p.m. on August 23. Reacting to a domestic incident, Sheskey and two other officers attempted to arrest Blake on a pending warrant. Blake escaped, and when he opened the driver’s door to his car, Sheskey was seen in the video of the incident pulling on Blake’s shirt before repeatedly firing his gun. Blake’s three sons sat in the car and witnessed the shooting.
What followed were days of protests and riots, with police firing tear gas and firing beanbag bullets at protesters. The protests turned into nights of apparent lawlessness when a group of rioters burned buildings and ransacked shops. One night, 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse traveled 20 miles to Kenosha to join a group of armed counter-protesters. He was later charged with fatal shooting at two men.
Sheskey was taken on administrative leave shortly after the shooting when the Wisconsin Justice Department conducted a month-long investigation.
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In January, Kenosha District Attorney Michael Graveley said he could not refute Sheskey’s claim that he was acting in self-defense because Blake was armed with a knife. Later that month, Vincent Arenas and Brittany Meronek, the other two Kenosha police officers involved in the incident, returned to full duty.
The Washington Post toured the Kenosha neighborhood, Wisconsin, where recent police shots of a black resident sparked protests across the country. (Sam Paakkonen, Luis Velarde / The Washington Post)
Sheskey, who joined the Kenosha Police Department in 2013, has been back on duty since March 31, Miskinis said on Tuesday. The chief said the department hired an outside agency and an independent expert to conduct an investigation into Sheskey’s actions.
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“Officer Sheskey has not been charged with any wrongdoing,” Miskinis said in a statement. “He acted within the law and was consistent with the training. This incident was also reviewed internally. It has been determined that Officer Sheskey acted in accordance with policy and will not be subject to discipline. “
The police did not give Sheskey’s assignment.
Patrick Salvi Jr., one of Blake’s attorneys, questioned the police force’s reasons for reinstating Sheskey.
“How can anyone say that this is a desired outcome for a police encounter?” Salvi told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel about Blake’s shooting. He also denied the internal investigation finding that Sheskey followed guidelines and training, calling the conclusion “a very sad state of affairs”.
“That is not true and we will prove it in our lawsuit,” said Salvi.
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