Police largely silent as outrage builds over Blake shooting

It took three days, an outpouring of anger in the streets and a NBA boycott before authorities investigating the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, started answering some of the most basic questions about what happened.And still, many key pieces of information have yet to be released, fueling speculation over why a white officer shot Blake in the back at close range Sunday as the Black man leaned into his SUV.Police maintain they are not hiding information but can’t reveal other details while the case is under investigation. Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth explained that the scene was chaotic and stressful, with people shouting and running, and that may have caused “tunnel vision” among officers.Kenosha Police Chief Daniel Miskinis said Wednesday that his department has few details about the Blake shooting because another agency — the Wisconsin Department of Justice — is investigating, as required by state law. After a shooting that left a Black man, Tony Robinson, dead in Madison, Wisconsin, five years ago, the Wisconsin Professional Police Association released information ahead of official investigations to counter rumors and speculation on social media, said executive director Jim Palmer.Quickly releasing an initial account of a shooting, even if murky, can offer the public a basic framework of what happened — and it can also benefit the department by making its side of the story public, Burbank said.