Jacob Blake had a knife on the floorboard of his car when he was shot by police, said the Wisconsin Department of Justice, which also has identified the shooting officer as Rusten Sheskey.
The knife was recovered from the driver’s side floorboard of Blake’s SUV, the agency said. It did not say whether Blake was holding the knife when Sheskey, a seven-year veteran of the Kenosha Police Department, shot him Sunday evening.
Blake, 29, admitted to having the knife during the investigation, officials said. No other weapons were recovered.
According to a DOJ news release, officers responded to a domestic dispute after a woman reported her boyfriend was unlawfully on the premises. Officers attempted to arrest Blake and a Taser was used, but it did not subdue him.
As Blake walked around to the driver’s side of the SUV, he opened the door and leaned forward into the vehicle. Sheskey held onto Blake’s shirt and fired seven times, striking him in the back. No other officer opened fire.
Officers were not equipped with body cameras, despite city leaders unanimously approving a plan in 2017 to purchase the devices in an effort to increase transparency and police accountability.
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Lawyers for Blake’s family said Tuesday he was paralyzed from the shooting.