Former Madison police chief to consult on Jacob Blake shooting

A former Madison, Wisconsin, police chief will act as a consultant in the investigation into the shooting of Jacob Blake by a police officer last month, the state’s justice department said.

Noble Wray, who is retired, is being retained by Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley, the Wisconsin Department of Justice said in a statement Monday.

Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, was shot seven times in the back by a White Kenosha police officer responding to a call about a domestic incident. He was paralyzed from the waist down.

The shooting sparked protests in the city that left buildings burned in parts of downtown. Two protesters were shot and killed, allegedly by a teenager who opposed the protests.

The police officers at the scene and Blake’s family have given conflicting accounts of the shooting.

Wray will review the investigative file and provide his analysis, which will help the district attorney as he decides whether to bring charges against the police officer, according to the statement.

“Chief Wray’s analysis will assist the district attorney in his review of the facts and their relationship with standard law enforcement practices as he makes a charging decision,” the release said.

“If the prosecutor determines there is no basis for prosecution of the law enforcement officer, and no other circumstances prevent the release, DCI will thereafter make the reports available to the public,” the release said.