Kawhi Leonard on Jacob Blake Decision: 'It Keeps Happening...It's Sad'

Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard spoke about the need for continued progress toward ending police brutality after police officer Rusten Sheskey was not charged Tuesday by prosecutors in Wisconsin for the shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, in August.

"It keeps happening," Leonard told reporters after the Clippers' game against the San Antonio Spurs. "We are still doing things to better the community, try to get better laws for the officers with those firearms but it's sad...hopefully in the future we can get these guys to stop releasing fire on us."

Todd Richmond and Michael Tarm of the Associated Press reported Kenosha County district attorney Michael Graveley said he opted to not file criminal charges against Sheskey, who's white, because he couldn't disprove the officer's statement he was acting in self-defense.

Graveley said Blake, who was paralyzed from the waist down by the shooting, told investigators he was carrying a knife, and the district attorney said bystander video appears to show Blake moving the knife toward Sheskey during a confrontation.

Blake family attorney Ben Crump disputed that claim in a statement to the AP, saying "nowhere does the video footage show a knife extended and aimed to establish the requisite intent." He added the decision not to charge Sheskey "further destroys trust in our justice system."

The NBA took a three-day hiatus during the playoffs in August after the Milwaukee Bucks started a leaguewide walkout to protest systemic racism. The Bucks released a statement Tuesday after the district attorney announced his decision:

"The Bucks organization remains firmly against excessive use of force by law enforcement. This past year shed light on the ongoing racial injustices facing our African American and other marginalized communities. Reoccurring instances of excessive use of force and immediate escalation when engaging the Black community must stop. We will continue to work to enact policy change so these incidents no longer exist. As an organization, we remain strongly committed to address issues of social injustice and anti-racism and to make meaningful change for African Americans and all marginalized members of our community."

Tuesday's NBA games were all played as scheduled. Milwaukee's next game is set for Wednesday night against the Detroit Pistons.