The lawsuit, which only names Kenosha, Wisconsin, Officer Rusten Sheskey as the defendant, argues that the shooting “was undertaken with malice, will and reckless disregard for the rights” of Blake.
Blake survived the shooting but was left paralyzed from the waist down. The lawsuit notes that Blake “suffered and will continue to suffer physical and emotional damage.”
CNN reached out to Sheskey and the Kenosha Police Department for comment, but did not immediately respond.
The lawsuit seeks damages “in an amount just and equitable sufficient to compensate [Blake] for the injuries he sustained, plus a substantial amount in punitive damages. ”
CNN reported that Sheskey told investigators shortly after the incident that he used deadly force during the chaotic encounter because he was afraid Blake, as he tried to flee the scene, was trying to kidnap a child in the back seat of the vehicle he was driving.
