Cop ducks rap in shoot of Black man

The Department of Justice will not pursue civil rights charges against a white Wisconsin cop who shot and partly paralyzed a Black man last year, sparking days of protests that turned violent.

While responding to a report of a domestic dispute in Kenosha, Wis., officer Rusten Sheskey (far right) shot Jacob Blake (right) seven times in the back in August 2020.

Federal prosecutors said Friday that they had insufficient evidence that Sheskey “willfully used excessive force.”

Investigators from the Justice Department also reviewed police reports, witness and law enforcement accounts, photos, videos and more.

“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 KPD officer willfully violated the federal criminal civil rights statutes,” the Justice Department said.

Blake’s uncle, Justin Blake, called the decision “unconscionable” and said it “definitely steps on every civil right we can imagine this country owes every African American descendant.”

“If we had a heart to be broken, it would be,” he said. “But because we’ve been through all we’ve been, we’re not.”

Last August several officers were attempting to detain Blake, who had a warrant out for his arrest. During the encounter, he approached the driver’s side of his vehicle, and that’s when Sheskey fired the shots into Blake’s back.

A knife was recovered on the floor of the vehicle. Sheskey was also not charged by the Kenosha County District Attorney, Mike Graveley. At the time, Graveley said Sheskey was justified in his use of force because of the knife that was recovered at the scene.

Kenosha police also did not discipline the officer, saying that he acted “within policy.”

The incident from August spurred headlines after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and protests that followed across the country.

After Blake was shot, Black Lives Matter supporters flooded downtown Kenosha for several nights. Gov. Tony Evers called in the National Guard.

Illinois teen Kyle Rittenhouse answered a local militia’s call to protect Kenosha businesses during the third night of protests.

He ended up shooting Joseph Rosenbaum, Anthony Huber and Gaige Grosskreutz, killing Rosenbaum and Huber and wounding Grosskreutz in the arm.

Rittenhouse, now 18, was charged with homicide and attempted homicide. His lawyers say the shootings were in self-defense. His trial is scheduled to begin Nov. 1.