Fifty-five people are facing charges related to violent riots in Kenosha, Wisconsin, following the police shooting of Jacob Blake last summer, police said Friday.
Kenosha officer Rusten Sheskey shot Blake seven times in August during a domestic dispute, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down.
Blake was armed with a pocketknife and had been tased by police after resisting arrest.
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Sheskey has not been charged, but Blake filed a civil lawsuit this week accusing him of using excessive force.
The shooting, captured on bystander video, sparked protests and riots in Kenosha that lasted for several nights.
“Large numbers of people engaged in lawful protest; however, many engaged in unlawful and dangerous activity,” Kenosha Police Chief Daniel Miskinis said in a statement.
Miskinis said 49 adults and six minors are facing charges including arson, burglary, possession of a firearm or ammunition by a convicted felon, criminal damage and disorderly conduct.
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He said 35 of those charged are Kenosha residents.
Police are trying to identify “many more suspects,” Miskinis said, noting that more arrests are expected in the coming months.
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