On August 23, 2020, Jacob S. Blake, a 29-year-old black man, was shot and seriously injured by police officer Rusten Sheskey in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

[8][9] Blake had a warrant for his arrest from July, based on charges of third-degree felony sexual assault[note 1] and trespassing and disorderly conduct for domestic abuse in May.

Blake's name was invoked in protests in other cities as part of the Black Lives Matter movement, which resurged in the wake of several high-profile killings by police officers in 2020.

[15] In January 2021, Kenosha County prosecutors announced that the officers involved in the shooting would not be charged, and Sheskey returned to regular police duty in April 2021.

According to multiple official sources, the female caller referred to Blake as her "boyfriend", said he was not permitted to be on the premises, and that he had taken her car keys and was refusing to give them back.

[24] Blake had a warrant for his arrest from July, based on charges of third-degree sexual assault, trespassing, and disorderly conduct for domestic abuse in May.

[30] "Based on the inability to gain compliance and control after using verbal, physical and less-lethal means, the officers drew their firearms," the police union added.

[38][39] In a press conference on August 26, 2020, Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul said that a knife was recovered from the driver-side front floorboard of the car Blake was leaning into when he was shot in the back.

[54] On August 28, the police union said that most narratives about the shooting were wholly inaccurate and purely fictional, including information from Blake's attorneys.

[56][19] According to the Walworth County district attorney, Zeke Wiedenfeld, the fact that Blake's accuser had ignored a subpoena and was refusing to cooperate contributed to the decision to allow him to plead out to lesser charges.

[61] Protests followed, leading Kenosha County to declare a state of emergency overnight on August 24 after police vehicles were damaged, a dump truck set on fire, and the local courthouse vandalized.

[28][63][64] Police urged 24-hour businesses to consider closing because of numerous calls about armed robberies and shots being fired,[65] and the Wisconsin National Guard was deployed to maintain public safety.

[77] In the NBA Bubble, the Milwaukee Bucks boycotted their August 26 first-round playoff game against the Orlando Magic in protest of the shooting.

[77] Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers issued a statement denouncing the excessive use of force by police and invoking the names of African Americans killed by law enforcement.

[80] Evers said, "While we do not have all of the details yet, what we know for certain is that he is not the first black man or person to have been shot or injured or mercilessly killed at the hands of individuals in law enforcement in our state or our country.

"[65] Evers called Wisconsin state lawmakers to a special session in order to pass legislation addressing police brutality.

"[82] On the 2021 anniversary of the shooting, Barnes released a statement condemning how "systemic racism continues to ravage communities of color" and remembering how "Jacob Blake was shot in the back seven times in front of his children.

"[83] Former Vice President and 2020 Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said "these shots pierce the soul of our nation" and called for an "immediate, full, and transparent investigation".

"[89] Trump scheduled a trip to Kenosha on September 1 to see the damage caused by the protests and to meet with law enforcement,[90] but Governor Evers and Mayor John Antaramian asked him to reconsider his visit over concerns that his presence would hinder efforts to "overcome division".

[93] They held discussions with the county sheriff, the chief of police, and others, and Trump promised financial help to city and state law enforcement, and to businesses which had been burned down.