What's next in Kenosha? Federal investigation and Kyle Rittenhouse case continue

MILWAUKEE – The county prosecutor's decision not to charge the Kenosha, Wisconsin, police officer who shot Jacob Blake in the back Aug. 23 won't take national attention off the Wisconsin city just yet.

A federal investigation into the incident is ongoing, and the high-profile case of Kyle Rittenhouse continues.  The Illinois teen pleaded not guilty Tuesday to seven charges stemming from his shooting of three protesters during civil unrest that broke out in Kenosha after Blake was shot.

Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley said his decision to not charge any officer involved in the shooting was based on evidence that could not be seen on cellphone video of the incident, which showed officer Rusten Sheskey shooting Blake, a Black man, as he got into a vehicle with his children inside. Blake was armed with a knife when he was shot.

Blake was left paralyzed.

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The shooting set off sometimes violent protests in Kenosha and marked another moment of nationwide demonstrations against police brutality and systemic racism in the USA. 

Federal investigation into Blake shooting ongoing

Sheskey and other officers present when Blake was shot could face departmental discipline, liability in civil suits or even criminal civil rights charges from federal prosecutors.

U.S. Attorney Matthew Krueger said federal authorities' investigation is "ongoing," as is the investigation in the arson and violence that followed the shooting.

Many businesses destroyed or damaged during the rioting that grew out of protests about the shooting are still trying to rebuild and recover.

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Protest shooting case only beginning

The case of Rittenhouse, who fatally shot two people and wounded a third during the third night of unrest in Kenosha, will probably be pending in Kenosha County Circuit Court for months. 

Rittenhouse, who just turned 18, entered not guilty pleas at his arraignment Tuesday. His attorneys say he acted in lawful self-defense. The case has become a cause célèbre on conservative news outlets, some social media channels and among many gun rights advocates.

Federal lawsuits pending against Kenosha, Rittenhouse

Four people arrested during the protests in August sued the city and county of Kenosha  in federal court, claiming discriminatory enforcement of a curfew that violated their rights under the First Amendment.

In another federal civil case, protesters sued Rittenhouse and two other armed men who were out that night, claiming they conspired to violate the plaintiffs' civil rights. The suit names Facebook as a defendant, saying it was negligent in allowing posts that encouraged armed people to come to downtown Kenosha.

More lawsuits are likely. The man Rittenhouse shot in the elbow, Gaige Grosskreutz, 26, and the family of a man Rittenhouse killed, Anthony Huber, 26, each filed $10 million notices of claims with the city and county of Kenosha. The notices are required before plaintiffs sue a local government.

Kimberley Motley, who represents Grosskreutz, said she believes police and sheriff's officers' negligence played a role in the events that led to the shootings.

Videos from that evening show law enforcement thanking the armed group Rittenhouse was part of and giving them water bottles, instead of telling them to disperse because they were in violation of the curfew.

Jacob Blake continues recovery while serving probation on May charges

Blake continues with physical therapy to deal with his spinal cord injury. He pleaded guilty in November to lesser charges stemming from an event in May at the same location of his violent encounter with police in August – the home of his fiancée and mother of some of his children.

In the hospital, he was sentenced to probation for two counts of disorderly conduct. As part of a plea agreement, prosecutors dropped counts of sexual assault and trespass. He has not been charged for anything he did Aug. 23.

Contributing: Jay Cannon, USA TODAY; Gina Barton, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Follow reporter Bruce Vielmetti on Twitter at @ProofHearsay.

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