Did Jacob Blake pick up a knife, and does that fact matter?

YES, it does absolutely matter. Understand having or attempting to access a knife is just part of the totality of the circumstances the officer using deadly force is held to account for and justify his actions.
First of all what the average person deems to be a reasonable Use of Force is NOT what the Courts have held it to be. Why the Courts?
Because the state, and Federal Legislatures have NOT written or modified law on the police use of force since it was typically written 150 or so years ago.
So the Courts (Mostly SCOTUS) have stepped in to fill the void by issuing decisions. There are two cases that figure prominently in that. The one that addresses the officers decision making is-
Graham V. Conner-
Any use of force by law enforcement officers needs to take into account
“severity of the crime at issue,
whether the suspect poses an immediate threat to the safety of the officers or others, and
whether he is actively resisting arrest or attempting to evade arrest by flight.”
Lets look at all three based on what we know about the Jacob Blake incident-1.
“severity of the crime at issue,
Police were called to the scene. We do NOT know what is on the Dispatch Call (911) or whether or not the police knew about the outstanding warrant for Sexual Assault, and Domestic Battery. (Previous posts about it being for Child Molestation are incorrect). If they did its one more factor indicating the possibility that a problematic arrest may occur.
We now have a video of what happened from a different angle and while again, it only started mid way through the incident, it shows Blake getting up and walking around the car to the drivers door-
2nd Angle of Jacob Blake Shooting
This supports the officers versions that he was in fact tased twice, and it failed to stop him getting up and heading to the drivers car door, all the wile with guns pointed at him.
The Severity of the crime at issue isn’t necessarily the outstanding warrant, or any allegations of domestic battery that may have occurred, right there and then. The severity of the crime at issue then at that moment was three small children in the car, and Blakes apparent disregard or instructions to the contrary to stop and submit to arrest. The officer in question was now faced with either letting Blake go, or stopping him.
brought the potential for Kidnapping to occur. A reasonable person would conclude Blake is either going to get into the car and leave, or possibly retrieve a weapon in which to fight off the police.
whether the suspect poses an immediate threat to the safety of the officers or others, and
Well as explained above the the officers had to consider the safety of “Others” if he drove off in a 3,000 pound piece of machinery. There is a distinct possibility of a high speed pursuit. That concern covers the three children in the car his fellow officers, and the general public’s safety.
whether he is actively resisting arrest or attempting to evade arrest by flight.”
No one in the BLM crowd has contested the fact that Blake was in fact violently resisting arrest. I suspect he was told that he was going to be arrested, (Turn around place your hands on the vehicle) when the resistance started. Two taser attempts failed, and Blake got up and continued to walk to his car. That is while officers had guns drawn and were telling him to stop.
Then he reaches into the car for something. Police claim its a knife. If that is true, then the shooting was the last option the officer had to prevent, an attack on the officer with a deadly weapon. Even if there was NO weapon, just the threat of kidnapping and possible harm to many other innocent persons, justified the shooting.
Why the 7 shots? Because officers are taught that once you engage you continue shooting until the threat is neutralized. So as long as the suspect is reaching, the officer can continue to shoot.
Answer?
I believe based on what I know today (August 30, 2020, the shooting without a knife present would be justified based on the threat of kidnapping and a high speed pursuit.
Now I often next hear- “How did the officer KNOW that?” “He isn’t justified in shooting based on what the defendant MIGHT or MIGHT NOT do.”
Again Graham V Conner-
The Court then explained that, “As in other Fourth Amendment contexts… the “reasonableness” inquiry in an excessive force case is an objective one: the question is whether the officers’ actions are ‘objectively reasonable’ in light of the facts and circumstances confronting them, without regard to their underlying intent or motivation.” The Court also cautioned, “The “reasonableness” of a particular use of force must be judged from the perspective of a reasonable officer on the scene, rather than with the 20/20 vision of hindsight.”
So the officer had to consider the worst case scenario, and act accordingly or he just might hear-
“Why did you let him drive off with my three babies?” Now they are dead because you didn’t do your job!”
NOTE- Before you embarrass and call me a racist, like several have, you might read this first.
Edgar D. McDonald II’s answer to What do you think about the arrest of Derek Chauvin, the ex-Minnesota policeman who knelt on the neck of Floyd George?
See I understand Law Enforcement because I sat on Use of Force Review committees. I also taught it to Correctional Officers.
I call things like how I see them. Disagree all you want. Just understand how the officers actions are evaluated.

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Here is my point of view, assuming that all accounts are generally correct:
There was a 911 for an “domestic incident” and Mr Blake was the suspect.
There was a warrant out for him on three charges, one of them involving violence — and Mr Blake knew that.
Neither side denies that there was a physical altercation before the shooting. Regardless of who started it, Mr. Blake knew or must have known that he was in a serious situation.
However, instead of complying, Mr Blake reached into his car. And this is where the situation goes south.
Seriously, when I got my driver’s license in the US, I was told by everybody and their uncle AND their uncle’s dogs to never, ever reach somewhere in my car when stopped by the police, and to actively make sure that the LEO(s) could see my hands at any given time. And I was told why. It is safe to assume that Mr Blake, as an American citizen, knew of that as well. It does not really matter whether he was armed before, this is where Mr Blake crossed a well known line.
I come to the conclusion that the use of force in general was warranted: The officers could not know what Mr. Blake had in his car, what he was reaching for and the situation had already escalated, regardless of who started that escalation.
So the question remains whether excessive force was used. And this is where it gets really tricky, because that very, very much depends on the operating procedures and rules of engagement of the PD. Personally, from what I have read about the incident, I am under the impression that a warning shot probably had deescalated the situation sufficiently. Seven shots fired, with 4 of them hitting gives me the impression that Officer Sheskey overreacted at the very least. However, I would not want to be the one throwing the first stone at Officer Sheskey: I simply do not know how I would have reacted when pumped up with adrenaline in a situation in which I had to assume that the suspect was arming himself. But again: It boils down to the rules and regulations of the respective PD.
I support the cause of BLM and #IamAntifa for roughly 30 years, but there is no innocent in this scenario.
The truly sad thing is what this incident lead to: Not only were two innocent people killed while merely executing the rights granted to them by the First Amendment, additionally a boy’s life takes a sharp turn for the worse. What must his life have looked like to come to the decision to kill people instead of trying to get into some panties?

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