A steady stream of mourners entered the north Minneapolis church on Wednesday to pay their respects to Clark, whose death in a confrontation with police sparked more than a week of protests. Wesley Martin, who was shot in the knee, said he suspected the white men who appeared on Monday night, were up to no good.
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Programs also adorned with a photo of Clark described the 24-year-old as a man who “liked to swim, fish, listen to music, play basketball, be with family and take trips to Charlotte, North Carolina”. Sources said Nathan Gustavsson, 21, of Hermantown, and Daniel Macey, 26, of Pine City, were arrested after they turned themselves in.
Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said it will be up to a grand jury to decide whether to bring charges against officers in Clark’s death. Police say three of the men are white and one is Asian.
Clark’s shooting earlier this month came during an ongoing national debate over incidents of police brutality and lethal force, particularly against black people.
Representatives from the U.S. Department of Justice have heard from activists camped outside a Minneapolis police station to protest the killing of a black man by city police. “We are there until we get justice for Jamar Clark”, she said.
Congressman Keith Ellison said the shooting of five black protesters Monday night should be investigated as a hate crime. However, activists claim Clark was lying handcuffed on the ground and was not resisting at the time of the shooting.
Eddie Sutton, brother of Jamar Clark, urged the protesters to end their encampment because he was concerned about their safety. One protester was shot in the stomach, they said.
“Jamar, your life did and does have objective”, he said to a standing ovation.
On Wednesday, Minneapolis Police revealed a fourth person, a 27-year-old man, is being held in connection to the shooting.
It wasn’t immediately clear what prompted the shooting or how many suspects police were searching for.
“I really did think it was like firecrackers or something initially because it was so loud and there was like this acrid smell”, protester Jie Wronski-Riley said.
Authorities have said Clark was shot once in the head during a struggle with two officers after he interfered with paramedics who were trying to assist a woman whom Clark allegedly assaulted.
The family of a black man who was fatally shot by Minneapolis police are preparing to lay him to rest.
Sen. Al Franken also issued a statement following last night’s shooting: “Like all Minnesotans, I was horrified to learn about the shooting of five people outside the Fourth Precinct last night”.
Governor Mark Dayton said the police video of the shooting was inconclusive but called for a third-party investigation of the incident.
Several hundred people filled the cavernous Shiloh Temple, with impassioned speeches from family members and pastors occasionally interrupted by shouts and applause, and a slide show of pictures of Clark as he grew up. State and federal investigations are underway. “The black community is always told to be peaceful, as if we are inherently violent”, says Preston. Some who say they saw the shooting insist Clark was handcuffed, but police dispute that.
“We’re here for Jamar”, one said, according to Henry Habu, who had been providing security for the demonstrators.
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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.
