KENOSHA, Wis. — A civil lawsuit filed by Jacob Blake's attorneys against the Kenosha police officer who shot him has been dismissed, court records show.
The suit was dismissed with prejudice without costs or fees to either party. Dismissed with prejudice means Blake's attorneys cannot file the same claim again in the same court. The federal court document announcing the dismissal did not contain any other information on Monday.
Blake's attorneys filed the federal lawsuit in March of 2021 after Kenosha Police Officer Rusten Sheskey shot Blake seven times in the back the summer before, sparking protests and unrest in Kenosha and across the country.
The Kenosha County District Attorney, Michael Graveley, declinedto file criminal charges against Sheskey in January of 2021, seven months after the shooting.
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Blake was sent to the hospital, paralyzed from the waist down.
Sheskey was responding to a domestic call last August when he says he thought Blake was reaching for a knife, and could harm a child. That's when Sheskey opened fire, hitting Blake seven times in the back.
Blake and his legal team argued in the lawsuit that Officer Sheskey used excessive force. Blake was represented by civil rights attorney Ben Crump, attorney Patrick A. Salvi II of Salvi Schostok and Pritchard, and attorney B’Ivory LaMarr of The LaMarr Firm, PLLC.
Kenosha's City Administrator, John W. Morrissey, issued the following statement after the suit was filed last year:
"The incident has been thoroughly examined by the Wisconsin Department of Justice, and former City of Madison Police Chief and use-of-force expert Noble Wray. Based on their findings and independent reports, the City of Kenosha will vigorously defend this case."
