Officers involved in Jamar Clark's shooting won't face civil rights charges
Federal officials won't levy civil rights charges against either of the two officers involved in the fatal shooting of Jamar Clark, a black man killed by a police bullet in Minneapolis on Nov. 15.
Officials said there wasn't enough evidence to charge the officers with civil rights violations.
"It is not enough to show that the officers made a mistake, that they acted negligently..." U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger said at a Wednesday press conference. The investigators would have had to show that the officers "intended to commit a crime," which Luger called "one of the highest legal standards."
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Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges asked the Department of Justice to investigate the shooting.
Clark's death sparked weeks of protests in Minneapolis that resulted in brief clashes between police and demonstrators.
Protesters set up a temporary camp outside a police station just down the street from the house outside of which Clark was fatally shot.
Police eventually tore down the encampment.
Minneapolis officials announced in March that neither of the two officers involved in the shooting would be charged. Officials said the officers had tried to arrest Clark after they were called to the home following some type of altercation between Clark and his girlfriend, who was taken away in an ambulance.
Officers tried to arrest Clark, who avoided being handcuffed. One officer then tackled Clark, at which point Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said Clark reached for the officer's gun. Moments later, the officer fired at Clark, killing him.
Many activists had from the beginning said Clark was handcuffed at the time he was shot. Though Freeman said the lack of bruising on Clark's wrists indicates otherwise, protesters still felt the officers shouldn't have immediately tried to bring Clark to the ground. Video of the incident showed Clark standing away from officers, though many activists felt that Freeman wanted the public to perceive Clark as the aggressor.
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Colin is Mashable's US & World Reporter. He previously interned at Foreign Policy magazine and The American Prospect. Colin is a graduate from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. When he's not at Mashable, you can most likely find him eating or playing some kind of sport.
