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Minneapolis Officers Will Not Face Charges in Fatal Shooting

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By Amanda Griffin

Posted on March 30, 2016

Summary: The shooting death of Jamar Clark has already divided the city of Minneapolis with that divide continuing to grow as the county prosecutor announced that the officers will not be criminally charged.

Minneapolis may be the latest city to be torn apart over the shooting of a black man by white officers. In an announcement Wednesday, a prosecutor said the two officers involved in the shooting will not face criminal charges. Black community members are in an outrage over the decision, claiming that the legal system is setup against African-Americans.

Citing forensic evidence, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman decided not to file charges against the officers. The evidence showed that 24-year-old Jamar Clark was not handcuffed and had reached for an officer’s weapon. The officers were justified in believing they could harmed by Clark.

Clark was told by Officer Mark Ringgenberg and Officer Dustin Schwarze to take his hand off Ringgenberg’s gun before he was shot. Clark told officers, “I’m ready to die.”

Evidence was compiled through police reports and witness testimony. Community members believe Freeman relied on the police reports too heavily, ignoring the accounts of the witnesses. The officers were called by paramedics that had responded to the assault of Clark’s girlfriend. Clark was the suspect for the assault and was interfering with the paramedics who feared for their safety.

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When the officers arrived, Clark refused to remove his hands from his pockets. They attempted to handcuff Clark but it resulted in a scuffle where Clark was able to get his hand on the gun. There were twenty people that gave accounts of the incident, 12 of which claimed Clark was handcuffed. However, the 12 accounts varied greatly and did not match the forensic evidence such as Clark’s DNA being found on Ringgenberg’s belt and gun but not on the inside of the handcuffs.

Black Lives Matter Minneapolis organizer Mica Grimm stated, “We will not stand for this injustice anymore. We will not come down to the government center and be lied to our faces anymore. If we cannot find justice here, we will find it in the streets.”