VICTOR JOECKS: Jacob Blake’s shooting doesn’t fit the left’s narrative

On Sunday, a police officer shot Blake, who is African American, seven times. Cellphone video from the incident in Kenosha, Wisconsin, went viral. Instead of waiting for details about the tragedy, the mainstream media and Democrats assumed this was a racially motivated case of police brutality.

“Video shows Wisconsin police shooting a black man multiple times,” The Washington Post headline said.

Other headlines were similar. “Video shows police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, shooting black man in back,” NBC News 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,” Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, said. In other words, he doesn’t know what happened, but he’s happy to smear the officer as a merciless criminal.

Blake survived the shooting, although his family’s attorney said he is paralyzed.

Given the racially charged atmosphere involving the police and minority communities, the reaction was not unexpected. But those who rush to judgment and draw conclusions without facts risk making matters worse.

“What I saw on that video makes me sick,” Joe Biden said. “Once again, a black man, Jacob Blake, has been shot by the police in broad daylight.”

But the situation appears more complicated than the immediate analysis has allowed. For intance, Blake was walking away from police officers who had their guns drawn and were shouting at him. He then tried to either get in or reach into his vehicle as an officer pulled on his shirt. These aren’t good choices no matter what your skin color is.

The initial reports were that Blake was trying to break up an argument. Nope. A woman called police to report “that her boyfriend was present and was not supposed to be on the premises” according to police. There was also a warrant out for Blake’s arrest. He was facing multiple charges, according to Politifact, including a felony third-degree sexual assault and two misdemeanors.

When officers tried to arrest Blake, he broke away even after officers used a taser. Blake wasn’t just passively leaving. He was actively trying to avoid arrest.

During the investigation, Blake admitted that he had possession of a knife, according to an investigative report, which was found on the driver’s side floorboard. It’s not clear if Blake had the knife during the initial confrontation. There’s also been no evidence presented yet that the officer who fired his weapon was in any way racially motivated.

It would be nice to have all the facts before pushing a preferred narrative or drawing hard-and-fast conclusions.

Contact Victor Joecks at vjoecks@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4698.