Having watched the 2 videos and read quite a bit about the shooting, I was interested in a thread listing only the facts as known, and unanswered questions, avoiding the political debate as much as possible.......
Here are some things I have read or seen that I believe are true concerning the situation:
--Blake's outstanding warrant was for Sexual Assault, 3rd Degree, which in Wisconsin is defined as "Sexual Intercourse with a person without consent". 3rd degree SA in Wisconsin lacks the element of "use or threat of force" which would have made it 2nd degree SA. The incident allegedly happened on May 3rd, and was charged on July 6th. The two other counts were Misdemeanor Trespassing and Disorderly Conduct. The report I read concerning the incident said "A women Blake knew told police he came to her house about 6:00 am, sexually assaulted her and then took her debit card and car keys before fleeing in her vehicle". The report also said (without further explanation) that "All three charges carried a penalty enhancer because they were connected to domestic abuse". I have seen allegations that he raped a 15 or 16 year old girl....but the alleged victim was a adult and there was no allegation the the charges of use or threat of force.
--In terms of prior arrests/convictions, in Sept 2015 he was charged, according to the report I read, with Resisting Law Enforcement, Disorderly Conduct, and 3 gun-related charges (the specific charges were not listed) after "a confrontation at a bar led to a combative traffic stop". However, these charges were dismissed in Dec. 2018 by Prosecutors "due to witness issues and the age of the case".
--On the 2nd video, which some of you probably have not seen, it shows a chaotic scene prior to the shooting. 6-8 family members are screaming. It's not exactly clear who they are screaming at or what they are saying. I do wonder if they are screaming at the cops, because the 3 cops do not appear to be concerned with them, but only with Blake. The cops appear to have Blake down, and he is able to stand up. It's not entirely clear how because the car mostly blocks the view. You can't tell from the video whether he had been tased twice as the police allege, or if so, if they happened while he was down or before that.
--Both videos next show Blake walking, in a rather deliberative fashion, around the front of the car, with something in his left hand hand. It is not possible to tell whether or not it is a knife. However, the man who took the video says the police were yelling "drop the knife". All 3 cops I can see on the video have their guns drawn on him after he gets up and before he starts walking. As he gets to the door, the closest cop closes the distance between he and Blake, and grabs Blake's left shoulder, attempting to stop him from opening the door. However, he is able to open the door and leans down and in. It's not clear to me whether he is leaning in to grab something, or preliminary to getting into the car. We also know from police reports that there were children (three?) in the car. No gun was found in the car, but police say there was a knife on the driver's side floor....one report said 'under the seat'.
These are the public facts as I believe them to be. If any posters know more or otherwise, please say so.
Here are some questions based on the above:
--The cops knew there was an outstanding warrant and the protective order (I think). Did they know about the sex charge? Did any of them know him from past dealings?
--Why was Blake there? (Some people are saying he was originally there without incident, and then got in the middle of a fight between two women) Did he bring the kids with him originally, or was he just leaving with them? Were the kids in the car also children of the woman he was there to see?
--If he was leaving with them and they were also the children of his alleged past victim, was he leaving with them with permission of the mother?
--Did the tasing, if it happened, occur before or as the police and Blake were on the ground?
--How was Blake able to get off the ground? Was it because he showed a knife, or did he just break loose?
--Why didn't they try to 'tackle' Blake as he walked around the car? Was it because they thought he had a knife?
--Did the cop who shot Blake think he was reaching for something (ie..a gun, if he already had a knife in hand), or just trying to leave?
Here are some things I have read or seen that I believe are true concerning the situation:
--Blake's outstanding warrant was for Sexual Assault, 3rd Degree, which in Wisconsin is defined as "Sexual Intercourse with a person without consent". 3rd degree SA in Wisconsin lacks the element of "use or threat of force" which would have made it 2nd degree SA. The incident allegedly happened on May 3rd, and was charged on July 6th. The two other counts were Misdemeanor Trespassing and Disorderly Conduct. The report I read concerning the incident said "A women Blake knew told police he came to her house about 6:00 am, sexually assaulted her and then took her debit card and car keys before fleeing in her vehicle". The report also said (without further explanation) that "All three charges carried a penalty enhancer because they were connected to domestic abuse". I have seen allegations that he raped a 15 or 16 year old girl....but the alleged victim was a adult and there was no allegation the the charges of use or threat of force.
--In terms of prior arrests/convictions, in Sept 2015 he was charged, according to the report I read, with Resisting Law Enforcement, Disorderly Conduct, and 3 gun-related charges (the specific charges were not listed) after "a confrontation at a bar led to a combative traffic stop". However, these charges were dismissed in Dec. 2018 by Prosecutors "due to witness issues and the age of the case".
--On the 2nd video, which some of you probably have not seen, it shows a chaotic scene prior to the shooting. 6-8 family members are screaming. It's not exactly clear who they are screaming at or what they are saying. I do wonder if they are screaming at the cops, because the 3 cops do not appear to be concerned with them, but only with Blake. The cops appear to have Blake down, and he is able to stand up. It's not entirely clear how because the car mostly blocks the view. You can't tell from the video whether he had been tased twice as the police allege, or if so, if they happened while he was down or before that.
--Both videos next show Blake walking, in a rather deliberative fashion, around the front of the car, with something in his left hand hand. It is not possible to tell whether or not it is a knife. However, the man who took the video says the police were yelling "drop the knife". All 3 cops I can see on the video have their guns drawn on him after he gets up and before he starts walking. As he gets to the door, the closest cop closes the distance between he and Blake, and grabs Blake's left shoulder, attempting to stop him from opening the door. However, he is able to open the door and leans down and in. It's not clear to me whether he is leaning in to grab something, or preliminary to getting into the car. We also know from police reports that there were children (three?) in the car. No gun was found in the car, but police say there was a knife on the driver's side floor....one report said 'under the seat'.
These are the public facts as I believe them to be. If any posters know more or otherwise, please say so.
Here are some questions based on the above:
--The cops knew there was an outstanding warrant and the protective order (I think). Did they know about the sex charge? Did any of them know him from past dealings?
--Why was Blake there? (Some people are saying he was originally there without incident, and then got in the middle of a fight between two women) Did he bring the kids with him originally, or was he just leaving with them? Were the kids in the car also children of the woman he was there to see?
--If he was leaving with them and they were also the children of his alleged past victim, was he leaving with them with permission of the mother?
--Did the tasing, if it happened, occur before or as the police and Blake were on the ground?
--How was Blake able to get off the ground? Was it because he showed a knife, or did he just break loose?
--Why didn't they try to 'tackle' Blake as he walked around the car? Was it because they thought he had a knife?
--Did the cop who shot Blake think he was reaching for something (ie..a gun, if he already had a knife in hand), or just trying to leave?