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Guard withdraws from Wisconsin city after charging decision

January 11, 2021 GMT

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Work continues on a demolished building is shown in Kenosha, Wis., Thursday, Jan. 7. 2021. The chaotic protests that everyone feared would ensue after a prosecutor decided this week not to charge a Wisconsin police officer who shot Jacob Blake, a Black man, in the back haven't materialized as activists bide their time after right-wing extremists stormed the U.S. Capitol. (AP Photo/Mike Householder)

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MADISON, Wis. (AP) — 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Guard spokesman Joe Trovato said Monday that about 500 troops have withdrawn from Kenosha after spending a week there in anticipation of demonstrations.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 Tuesday that 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 supporters marched in the city on Monday afternoon demanding officials fire Sheskey. The event was peaceful.