Shaun King threatens to name cops who ‘may or may not’ be involved in Jacob Blake shooting
The social justice advocate says he isn't waiting for Kenosha police to release names
When it comes to naming Jacob Blake’s shooter, prominent activist Shaun King is issuing an ultimatum of sorts to the Kenosha Police Department.
READ MORE: Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, arrested for murder in Wisconsin protest shooting
Tuesday, King – who is based in Brooklyn – called on Kenosha PD to identify the officer involved in last weekend’s shooting and warned that he would take steps to apply pressure to the department until they did so.
“If you do not name the officer who brutally shot Jacob Blake on Sunday, we will simply begin naming officers from your department who may or may not be him,” King wrote in a message addressed “To the Kenosha Police Department” that as of Wednesday was still pinned to the top of his Twitter feed.
“Your protection of his identity is unethical, ” he continued. “What’s his name?”
An hour later he shared a screen capture sharing the identity of an officer, alleging, “He’s in protective custody in a hotel because people thought he shot Jacob Blake. POLICE COULD END THIS RIGHT NOW. They are deliberately protecting the man who shot Jacob. What’s his name?”
He then showed a picture of another officer, who is also speculated by members of the community to have been the person who shot Blake in the back as he got into his car after a tussle with police.
“I’m not going to call for peace. We’ve tried peace,” King posted Monday for the benefit of anyone who may disagree with his methods.
Read More: Two people killed in 3rd night of unrest over Jacob Blake shooting
Instead, he is now calling for a “complete dismantling of American policing” noting, “It is NOT broken. It was built to work this way. And mayhem is the consequence. You earned it.”
Though the officers involved in Blake’s shooting have been placed on administrative leave, none have yet been identified publicly in the shooting. Blake continues to recover in a Wisconsin-area hospital.
As theGrio reported, his father, also named Jacob Blake, says that his son is paralyzed from the waist down but doctors don’t yet know if that will be permanent.
Have you subscribed to theGrio’s podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!
More About:News
You Might Like
