After “extensive investigation” the United States Justice Department concluded that evidence wasn’t sufficient to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the officers “willfully violated Clark’s civil rights”, U.S. Attorney for Minnesota Andrew Luger said Wednesday.
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Levy-Pounds and a dozen other civil rights leaders, including members of the Black Lives Matter movement that has led protests against police shootings, appeared at a news conference and said they would campaign to push local officials out of office due to their response to Clark’s shooting. “We would have had to show that they specifically meant to commit a crime”.
“Very early in this process, many community members asked for this federal investigation, which the mayor and I supported and requested”, Minneapolis Police Chief Janee Harteau said.
According to the federal probe, there was no identifiable DNA on the handcuffs found at the scene and no there was no bruising on Clark’s wrists, according to two medical examiners.
Luger is the second prosecutor to decline to file charges in Clark’s death, following Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman’s announcement in March. Luger said at a news conference that evidence indicated Clark was not restrained at the time.
The Minneapolis Police Department turned that investigation over to the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
“While the exact means by which Clark’s DNA was transferred to the gun can not be established, its presence makes it impossible to disprove Officer Ringgenberg’s claim that Clark grabbed the gun”, Luger’s statement read. “It would be very hard, if not impossible, to get a conviction for federal civil rights violation”, expressed Heffelfinger.
“The community wanted a federal review, and so on November 16 we asked the Department of Justice to open a civil rights investigation”.
The U.S. Department of Justice is still investigating how city officials responded to the protests that broke out as citizens demanded #Justice4Jamar.
Atlanta Black Star reported that Clark was shot in the head while handcuffed.
Hodges added, “I understand this decision has struck at the heart of a painful tension in the community. What we can do now is move forward together to build a city that is safe and equitable for everyone”, Hodges said.
“I have full faith in this independent investigation”.
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The confrontation that led to Clark’s death began when paramedics called police saying the man was interfering with their efforts to treat an assault victim. The woman later recanted claims that Clark harmed her that night. Bob Kroll, president of the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis, were aimed Black Lives Matter, which he described as a “terrorist organization”, accoridng to WCCO-TV. They will attempt to justify the killing of Jamar Clark in manner similar to Mike Freeman. He died days later. The circumstances of the case set off weeks of protests in the city, including an 18-day tent encampment outside the police department’s 4th Precinct on the north side.
