Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said Wednesday his office – not a grand jury – will make the final call on whether to press charges against Minneapolis police officers in the November 15 shooting of Jamar Clark.
Advertisement
The Minneapolis chapter of the group Black Lives Matter responded to the county attorney’s decision, saying it was, at least in part, the result of vocal protest following Clark’s death. Police have said that when they arrived, Clark was interfering with paramedics who were assisting the female victim.
The protests that followed Clark’s death, which drew global attention, produced several tense standoffs between the demonstrators and police officers in riot gear who used pepper spray and batons to disperse crowds.
On Wednesday, the Hennepin County prosecutor talked about the longtime precedent using grand juries in police shootings cases but said he decided against it.
Last month, the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the state agency investigating Clark’s death, said it completed its investigation and turned it over to the attorney’s office for review.
Protesters took to the streets in response and began an encampment at the police precinct on Minneapolis’ north side that lasted 18 days before authorities broke it up. Witnesses, however, said he was handcuffed. The head of the Minneapolis police union later said Clark was not handcuffed and was shot while going for an officer’s gun. Since then, he’s had more discussions with the community about grand juries.
Before announcing his decision, Freeman detailed how he has been studying the role of grand juries in Hennepin County for the past 16 months, motivated by the fatal shooting of teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO and the fallout that followed.
Freeman has said he hopes to have a decision by the end of March.
Still, Freeman’s move is a victory for protesters who believed a grand jury would be less likely to charge officers in the shooting. He added that the law is applied the same whether a grand jury or a prosecutor examines a case.
The BCA finished its investigation a few weeks ago but Freeman asked for some additional work. That police response is now under review by the U.S. Justice Department. If you would like to discuss another topic, look for a relevant article.
Advertisement
Be proactive – Use the “Flag as Inappropriate” link at the upper right corner of each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
