Jacob Blake withdraws his lawsuit against the Kenosha officer who shot him in the back

Bruce Vielmetti, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
·1 min read

MILWAUKEE — Jacob Blake has dropped his civil rights lawsuit against the Kenosha police officer who shot him in the back in 2020, an incident that set off days of violent protests in the city.

Blake sued Rusten Sheskey in March of last year but dismissed the action Friday, according to court records. A one-page stipulation signed by lawyers from both sides indicates they've agreed to dismiss the case with prejudice, meaning Blake can not refile the claim.

Nothing in the case file mentions a settlement and neither lawyer immediately returned messages Monday morning.

U.S. District Judge J.P. Stadtmueller signed an order granting the dismissal Monday.

This undated and unlocated handout image released by the Wisconsin Department of Justice on August 28, 2020 shows Kenosha Police Officer Rusten Sheskey, who opened fire on Jacob Blake during his attempted arrest on August 23. - Jacob Blake was shot seven times in the back at close range on August 23 by white officer Rusten Sheskey, who was trying to apprehend the 29-year-old father. Authorities said police were attempting to arrest Blake and had tried to subdue him with a stun gun. They added that a knife had been found in his car.

Sheskey and other officers had responded to a domestic call on Aug. 23, 2020. Blake refused their orders and was getting into an SUV when Sheskey fired seven times.

Blake, 31, had a knife, and Sheskey was neither charged nor disciplined. Blake was left partially paralyzed from the shooting.

The shooting touched off days of violent protests in Kenosha, during which Kyle Rittenhouse killed Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26, and wounded Gaige Grosskreutz, 28.

A jury later acquitted Rittenhouse of all charges in the case after arguing he acted in self-defense.

FROM FRUSTRATION TO ANGER TO HOPE: Those impacted by the Kenosha shootings reflect on where they were, and where they are now

Follow Bruce Vielmetti on Twitter at @ProofHearsay.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Jacob Blake drops lawsuit against Kenosha officer who shot him