The shooting of Jacob Blake was as revolting as it was shocking to a nation that only recently had witnessed the killing of George Floyd in May 2020. For that reason, Blake said he walked away from police on the afternoon of Aug. 23.
Some saw his actions as resisting the officers, but Blake begs to differ. On Thursday, Jan. 14, 20201, during his first interview since the shooting, the father of six told “Good Morning America” anchor Michael Strahan, “I resisted to getting beat on. What I mean by that is not falling, not letting them put their head on my neck. That’s all I was thinking, honestly.”
When asked why he did not comply with the officers the moment they threatened to use a Taser on him — then followed through — the 29-year-old said he did not hear them. He further explained that the noise carried out by screaming observers and officers was “muffled.”
As has been reported by rolling out, Blake’s decision to walk around the front of his car and then open the driver’s side door resulted in him being shot seven times in the back by Kenosha Police Officer Rusten Sheskey. With solemn eyes, Blake reflected on the moment he realized the shooting stopped, telling Strahan he thought it was over.
“I said, ‘Daddy love you no matter what,'” he disclosed, reminding viewers that his two kids were in the back seat. “I thought it was going to be the last thing I say to them. Thank God it wasn’t.
“I didn’t want to be the next George Floyd. I didn’t want to die.”
Blake maintains that his hands were in the air even after he was hit with the Taser and that he was not attempting to flee.
According to news reports, the Kenosha County District Attorney announced last week that the officer would not face charges because he “fired in self-defense.” Nonetheless, Blake’s attorney, Ben Crump, plans to sue the Kenosha Police Department for violating his client’s civil rights.
Watch the interview on the next page.
