The U.S. Department of Justice announced on Friday that it would not prosecute the white police officer who, in August 2020 in Kenosa, Wisconsin, seriously injured African-American Jacob Blake, an incident that sparked bloody protests and riots. of racism across the US.
"They are not enough…"
"The ministry made this decision because the evidence gathered is not sufficient to prove that the police officer used excessive force," the statement said.
On August 23, 2020, Jacob Blake was shot several times in the back in front of his three sons as police tried to arrest him.
Jacob Blake
Video of the incident, posted on the internet, rekindled anti-police and anti-racist protests three months after the death of George Floyd during his violent arrest by white police in Minneapolis.
Protests over Blake's shooting sparked riots in Kenosha, and on August 25, a 17-year-old man linked to the militia fired a semi-automatic rifle at three protesters, killing two people.
The case had also led to a strong mobilization in the world of sports, with the postponement of specific NBA games.
He was in self-defense
In January 2021, the state of Wisconsin's justice had already decided not to prosecute the police officers involved.
Ceski (left) shoots Blake in the back (right)
Local prosecutor Michael Gravelley had estimated that the police officer who shot Blake was in self-defense because the latter "resisted with a knife" in his arrest.
The U.S. government said at the time that the FBI was investigating whether Blake's political rights had been violated.
Officers analyzed several documents, including "police reports, witness statements, photographs, videos…".
Video with the scene of the shootings:
But in the end, "senior federal prosecutors concluded that there was insufficient evidence to establish beyond a reasonable doubt that the police officer deliberately violated civil rights," Blake said, according to the Justice Department.
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