The Justice Department will not pursue charges against the Minneapolis police officers who shot and killed Jamar Clark, 24, U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger announced June 1.
Luger cited “insufficient evidence” as the reason for not pursuing a civil rights prosecution against the police officers. He also said that he had already met with Clark’s family and that he and the FBI agent-in-charge, Richard Thornton, would meet later with community members to discuss policing reform and use of force by law enforcement.
The request for a federal civil rights investigation originated among community leaders and was passed on to the Justice Department by Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges, Luger said.
According to the Star Tribune:
Clark, of Minneapolis, was shot in the head after police said he resisted arrest Nov. 15 near the city’s North Side police precinct. The officers were responding to a call from paramedics treating a woman who had been at the same gathering as Clark, and the paramedics said he was attempting to get inside the ambulance to see her. The woman later recanted claims that Clark harmed her that night.
The shooting occurred 61 seconds after Ringgenberg and Schwarze encountered Clark; Ringgenberg used a takedown not sanctioned by the Police Department to get him to comply with their orders. Some witnesses said they saw that Clark was handcuffed when Schwarze shot him and that Freeman discounted testimony from many black witnesses that implicated the officers.
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