US Justice Dept. Declines To Charge Officer Over Shooting Of Black Man In Wisconsin

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 09th October, 2021) The US Justice Department said in a press release it will not pursue charges against a police officer that shot African American man Jacob Blake Jr. in the back seven times last year.

"The Justice Department announced today that it will not pursue Federal criminal civil rights charges against a Kenosha Police Department (KPD) officer for his involvement in the Aug(ust) 23, 2020, shooting of 30-year-old Jacob Blake," the release said on Friday.

The Justice Department determined there is insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the KPD officer willfully violated US law, so the case is closed.

In January, prosecutors in the state of Wisconsin also declined to file charges against the police officer involved in the shooting.

In August 2021, violent protests erupted in Kenosha, Wisconsin, after a police officer shot Blake Jr. The protests turned into riots complete with violence against police and civilians as well as acts of arson and destruction.

The shooting fueled unrest that had already been raging nationwide following the killing of George Floyd, an unarmed African American, while in police custody in the city of Minneapolis on May 25, 2020.