KENOSHA — Jacob Blake’s family says they will take their fight for justice to the next level after hearing local prosecutors won’t charge the officer who shot Blake seven times in August. The family held press conferences in both Kenosha and in Chicago with the Reverend Jesse Jackson.
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Kenosha officer will not be charged in Jacob Blake's shooting, DA says
Blake’s father, Jacob Blake Sr., said the decision was not a surprise.
“We expected it, it did not sideswipe us or jump us from the backside,” said Blake Sr. in Chicago.
Blake’s uncle Justin Blake said in Kenosha: “This is a slap in the face by the Wisconsin government and the DA.” He went on to say that the family plans to take their fight to the nation’s capital.
“This needs to be handled at a federal level, it needs to be investigated at a federal level and taken to the feds so we can change some laws,” said Justin Blake.
The family says they are also looking for a different outcome from the ongoing Federal Civil Rights investigation into the shooting of Jacob Blake, Jr. The Department of Justice said today the investigation is being conducted by the FBI in cooperation with the Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigation and overseen by the US Attorney’s Office and the Department of Justice.
Family attorney’s also said they will seek a civil court claim in the future. Jacob Blake remains paralyzed from the Aug. 23 shooting.
