MINNEAPOLIS — Two white police officers involved in the fatal shooting of a black man last fall will not face criminal charges, a prosecutor announced Wednesday in a decision that drew outrage from community members who said the move showed that the legal system is rigged against African Americans.
Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said his decision not to charge the officers in the death of 24-year-old Jamar Clark was based on forensic evidence that showed Clark was not handcuffed and had attempted to grab an officer’s weapon, which made the officers believe they were in mortal danger.
Community members who attended the presentation said the prosecutor relied too heavily on police accounts and disregarded what others said they saw.
Police encountered Clark early on Nov. 15 after paramedics called for help from a scene where they were attempting to treat Clark’s girlfriend after she was assaulted.
Of the 12 who said he was handcuffed, their stories differed and did not match the forensic evidence, Freeman said.
The FBI, the U.S. attorney’s office in Minnesota and the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division are conducting a separate federal criminal investigation to determine whether police intentionally violated Clark’s civil rights through excessive force.
