Police say Clark was involved in an assault of his girlfriend and that he was hindering emergency responders from tending to her before his altercation with officers began.
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Minneapolis police on Tuesday arrested three men in the shooting of five people near a police station where demonstrators have gathered for more than a week to protest the killing of an unarmed black man by police officers. Clark’s family has asked for protesters to end the 4th Precinct encampment, out of concern for their safety, and U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison said it would be wise to “start thinking about an exit strategy” and what to do next. While police say that Clark was shot after he struggled with the officers, some people who say were witnesses to the shooting claim that Clark had been in handcuffs.
Also Tuesday, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman issued a statement saying it will be up to a grand jury to decide whether to charge the police officers in connection with Clark’s death.
About 50 people were outside the precinct Tuesday morning, with more trickling in, and some said they planned to stay despite the violence and a request from Clark’s family to end the protests.
“We appreciate Black Lives Matter for holding it down and keeping the protests peaceful”, Sutton said.
An estimated 2,000 protesters marched from north Minneapolis to City Hall in downtown Tuesday afternoon in support of Jamar Clark.
Authorities have said there was no video of the shooting from police dashboard or body cameras, but investigators are reviewing video from business and security cameras in the area, as well as witnesses’ cell phones.
“Do you know if the BLM n*****s are planning to protest again tomorrow, and if so, at what time?” one white supremacist asked in an email chain.
A picture of a smiling Jamar Clark adorned the program for his funeral at Shiloh Temple International Ministries. The three strangers left the protest and a handful of protesters followed them to a street corner, where the masked men pulled out weapons and gunshots rang out, Omeoga said. “They have no place in our city”, Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges said in a video statement.
Protestors, activists, and community members listen to a speech by Nekima Levy-Pounds, Minneapolis NAACP president, at a candlelight vigil held for Jamar Clark outside the 4th police precinct November 20, 2015 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Later that night, a supporter noticed the threatening video on Livestream and alerted the protesters, Gawker reports. A 32-year-old Hispanic man was arrested but later released.
Police said the person released was determined to have not been at the scene ofMonday night’s shooting, in which five people suffered injuries that were not life threatening. The agency, which is conducting a state investigation, said releasing the footage now would taint its investigation. Black Lives Matter said in its Facebook page that the gunmen attacked their week-old camp “in an act of domestic terrorism”. News video has shown Molotov cocktails thrown at police and the building behind them.
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While the Associated Press and other outlets reported that all was quiet overnight at the protest, demonstrators took to social media to discuss the gunfire.
