KPD Conceals 4th Shooting Victim
On August 23rd 2020, Kenosha WI would become the topic of conversation around the world stemming from Jacob Blake getting shot 7 times in the back by Officer Rusten Shesky during an altercation stemming from a 911 call. What followed would lead millions of people to have questions surrounding what really happened during the week long unrest.
On August 25th 2020, NSM released a live recording of the Kenosha Police Department Audio Scanner where multiple units surrounded 125-150 armed “citizens”. We would later find out that these armed “citizens” were in fact armed “militia” members who would station at various areas throughout Kenosha with the most concentration at the Ultimate Gas Station and two Car Source lots. Even though multiple squad cars surrounded this group, you would hear on the audio they KPD suddenly lost this very large group of armed individuals.
Later in the night chaos would ensue as shots rang out down Sheridan Rd. Kyle Rittenhouse would be involved in the shooting deaths of Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber, and critically injuring Gaige Grosskreutz. For the next 1hr and 45min confusion would span Sheridan Rd where protestors faced off with law enforcement, and people would begin fleeing the area, and shots were being fired from all directions.
For me, I had so many questions about what occurred that I couldn’t see and that I wasn’t filming. I’ve spent months and countless hours investigating various aspects of the unrest that happened in Kenosha. On September of 2020, I received multiple recording of the KPD Audio Scanner from the 23rd-25th. After reviewing the audio for August 25th, it led to serious questions that Kenosha Police Department and the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Department refuses to answer. On September 18th 2020, we released a video breaking down that scanner audio by the minute. While, we highlighted several incidents during this scanner audio, one thing specifically that was mentioned was a 4th shooting victim.
August 25th, 2020 KPD Scanner Audio https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWqUBvJu3Jk&t=19874s
The shooting element of the audio starts at 4hrs 40min into this long video. At the 5hr 6min mark you can hear mention of a 4th victim.
In January 2021, this 4th victim would be confirmed by an anonymous source within the KPD but would not release the identity of the individual. While this 4th victim is mentioned during the KPD scanner audio and we received confirmation of a 4th individual, we never had anything in writing, until today.
Through an open records request with the Waukesha Police Department, we received a document from a Lieutenant with the Waukesha PD. In this email document we received it outlines WPD’s involvement on August 25th. Below is verbiage from that email.
“On August 25th, 2020, we deployed an eight person tactical element to Kenosha to assist with the Civil Unrest. We were the quick reaction force and handled several tasks to include evacuating a National Guardsman (hand injury), Security for the Fire Department to put out fires, and reports of protestors with guns. The Humvee would lead the way to these calls and was followed by our four person unmarked squad which served as WKPDS QRF. For Law Enforcement, the night was busy with the majority of the action surrounding the Court House. We were not actively involved in combating the rioting crowd, however, heard over the radio that the crowd was using umbrellas to shield their movements, using lasers, starting items on fire, and throwing large amounts of debris.
The protests seemed to come to an abrupt end after an active shooting event occurred near the courthouse. We were several blocks away, but could hear two volleys of shot being fired and began receiving reports that the subject was fleeing on foot. We responded to assist and linked up with a group of LE approximately 3 blocks south west of the shooting that had a vehicle stopped at gun point. There was a probably 20-30 officers used to secure the intersection as there was a 360 degree threat plane. We assisted with safely detaining the vehicle occupants, cleared the vehicle and then provided armor for the Task Force looking for the firearm at a residence. While at the command post, we were advised that four people were shot and two were deceased”.
NSM reached out to KPD for comment and we received this response: "I am not aware of a 4th shooting victim for August 25th, 2020. As for any comment on the shootings that did occur on the night of August 25th, 2020 Kenosha Police have no further comment other than what has already been released".
Why is it that we have only heard publicly about 3 victims and not 4? We have been asking this question since last September. For the last eight months, NSM has filed 13 open records requests with the Kenosha Police Department and have been denied every request. We recently filed 5 more requests which have also been denied. Because of documents like this that help explain more of what happened in Kenosha during the unrest, along with hundreds of other records that KPD is hiding from the public, on March 17th 2021, NSM filed a Writ of Mandamus lawsuit against KPD alleging intentional denial of records that the public has a right to per the Freedom of Information Act. KPD has refused every opportunity for transparency and when information like this is intentionally concealed from the general public, we have to ask ourselves what other information is being concealed that they don’t want the public to know?
https://neverstopvoices.com/blogs/news/help-never-stop-media-obtain-open-records
https://neverstopvoices.com/blogs/news/never-stop-media-sues-kpd-for-records
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