KENOSHA — The Wisconsin Department of Justice has selected former Madison Police Chief Noble Wray as outside consultant to review the investigation into the police shooting of Jacob Blake.
Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Gravely had previously asked Attorney General Josh Kaul to select a consultant to review the DA's investigation, and on Monday Kaul announced Wray had been appointed to the temporary position.
Monday is the 29th day since the shooting of Blake, when on Aug. 23 Kenosha Police Officer Rusten Sheskey fired his gun seven times into Blake's back.
Sheskey has not been charged in the shooting. Blake remains in the hospital with severe injuries.
Following Monday's update, the investigation's files will pass to former chief Wray. Once he has decided he has finished his analysis of the investigation, the files will be passed back to DA Gravely, who will then make a decision regarding criminal charges.
“At the request of DA Graveley, I have identified an independent expert who can help ensure a just outcome in this case,” said Attorney General Kaul. “Noble Wray is a longtime Wisconsin resident and a widely respected retired Madison Police Chief who has extensive experience in law enforcement, including experience at the national level as a police reform specialist for the U.S. Department of Justice.”
Wray is a Milwaukee native and a 29-year veteran of the Madison police department. Wray led the department following the deadly police shooting of Paul Heenan in 2013, according to the Wisconsin State Journal. Wray decided then to postpone his retirement to finish the investigation into that shooting.
The DOJ's Division of Criminal Investigation typically aims to provide its report to the prosecutor, in this case DA Gravely, within 30 days of an officer-involved shooting.
