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National Guard Withdraws From Kenosha In Week After Charging Decision

Scott Olson
/
Getty Images
National Guard troops stand guard near the Kenosha County Courthouse on Jan. 5, before the Kenosha district attorney announced charges would not be filed against Officer Rusten Sheskey for shooting Jacob Blake.

The Wisconsin National Guard has pulled troops out of a southeastern Wisconsin city after protests over a decision not to charge a white police officer with shooting a Black man in the back didn't materialize.

Guard spokesman Joe Trovato said Monday that about 500 troops have withdrawn from Kenosha after spending a week there in anticipation of demonstrations.

Officer Rusten Sheskey's decision to shoot Jacob Blake in the back during a domestic dispute in August sparked chaotic protests in Kenosha that went on for several nights. Prosecutors have charged Illinois teen Kyle Rittenhouse with shooting two people to death and wounding a third during one of the protests.

Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley announced Tuesdaythat he wasn't going to charge Sheskey in the shooting. Authorities braced for another round of protests, declaring a curfew and blocking off roads. Gov. Tony Evers activated the National Guard to assist local police.

But demonstrations of the magnitude the city saw in August never happened and the troops withdrew after an uneventful weekend, Trovato said.

Blake's family planned to march through the city late Monday afternoon.

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