Officer who shot Jacob Blake thought he was trying to abduct child, says lawyer

Jacob Blake (Kenosha County Court via AP)

The police officer who shot Jacob Blake in the back seven times last month has told investigators he thought Mr Blake was trying to abduct one of his own children and opened fire because he started turning towards the officer while holding a knife, his lawyer has said.

Brendan Matthews, the lawyer for Officer Rusten Sheskey and the Kenosha police union, told CNN that when Mr Sheskey arrived at the scene on August 23 in response to a call from a woman who said Mr Blake was at her home and should not be there, he heard a woman say: “He’s got my kid. He’s got my keys.”