“Accordingly, the review of this incident has been closed without a federal prosecution,” the Justice Department said in a news release.
Investigators also found that Blake had fought with three officers for several minutes before he was shot, at one point shrugging off a shock from a stun gun, and was trying to get into an SUV when Sheskey tried to stop him by pulling on his shirt. Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley stated that the video showed Blake turning toward Sheskey with a knife and making a motion toward the officer with the knife.
“A team of experienced federal prosecutors from the Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office reviewed evidence obtained by the FBI and state investigators to determine whether the police officer violated any federal laws. After a careful and thorough review, a team of experienced federal prosecutors determined that insufficient evidence exists to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the … officer willfully violated the federal criminal civil rights statutes,” the statement read.
Blake is currently in rehabilitation and is slowly learning to walk again with assistance. Lil Wayne donated a wheel chair-accessible van to Blake following the shooting.
