On August 23, Jacob Blake was shot in the back seven times by Kenosha police officer Rusten Sheskey as he returned to the driver's side of his SUV. Sitting in the backseat of the vehicle at the time were his three children witnessing what could've been their father's final moments.
In an interview with Michael Strahan for Good Morning America nearly five months later, Blake remembers what was going through his mind, and the parting words he wanted to give his kids, if he were to die. "All I remember at that point was kinda leanin' back, lookin' at my boys," he recalls. "I said, 'Daddy, love you no matter what.' It was the last thing I said to them at that point."
"I thought it was gonna be the last thing I say to them," Blake continued. "Thank God it wasn't."
Blake is now paralyzed from the waist down because of Sheskey, who will not face any legal repercussions for his potentially deadly actions. Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley announced last month that Sheskey will not face criminal charges.
Graveley explained that Sheskey was acting in self-defense because Blake, who was admittedly carrying a knife, refused the officer's orders to drop the weapon. Graveley believes Sheskey stopped firing his gun when Blake was no longer perceived as a threat, and started to administer first aid.
"I didn't wanna be the next George Floyd," Blake told Strahan. "I didn't wanna die."
Blake also disputed the police's account of the shooting, stating that they did not try to communicate with him upon arriving at the scene, nor did they announce a warrant.
"When they tased me, I had my hands up," Blake added.
Sheskey is currently on administrative leave. You can watch more of Blake's GMA interview, which also features insight from attorney Ben Crump, here. Additional footage will premiere on ABC on Thursday night.
