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Killing of Jamar Clark

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Killing of Jamar Clark
DateNovember 15, 2015 (2015-11-15)
Time12:45 am
Location1600 Plymouth Avenue North, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
TypeShooting
ParticipantsMark Ringgenberg
Dustin Schwarze
OutcomeUnder investigation
DeathsJamar Clark

On November 15, 2015, Jamar Clark, a 24-year-old African-American male, was shot by Minneapolis Police in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Two police officers, Mark Ringgenberg and Dustin Schwarze, were involved in the shooting and were subsequently placed on paid administrative leave. The night after the shooting, Clark died at the Hennepin County Medical Center after being taken off life support.

Jamar Clark

Jamar Clark (c. 1991 – November 16, 2015) was adopted by Wilma and James Clark when he was four. His family stated that he had a close relationship with his biological and adoptive parents and his 14 siblings. At the time of the shooting, he was employed by Tim Hoag at Copeland Trucking and had hopes of attending college, although he never enrolled.[1]

Clark had had previous encounters with law enforcement, beginning in 2010 when he received a conviction for first-degree aggravated robbery.[2] The conviction resulted in a sentence of 41 months in prison, of which its unclear how many Clark served.[3] Clark faced a second conviction for terroristic threats[2] after he threatened to burn down the apartment of an ex-girlfriend in March 2015, following a bitter breakup. According to Kyle Potter of the Associated Press, "He threw a brick through his ex-girlfriend's window and threatened to burn her apartment unit down -- leaving behind a trail of lighter fluid to prove it, according to court documents."[1] As of November 2015, he was on probation for this crime.[1] Clark's ex-girlfriend described him as "a nurturing, loving man who was drawn to her four children, giving them advice and helping them sell candy for school", but claimed that their relationship soured in recent times, resulting in their breakup.[1] A Domestic Abuse No Contact Order was issued for Clark, requiring him to stay away from the ex-girlfriend until 2020.[4] Additionally, Clark was awaiting trial for a high-speed chase arrest from July 2015.[1]

Shooting

Police claim Clark was suspected in an assault of his ex-girlfriend on whom a no contact order was issued, and an assault upon emergency workers who were trying to provide medical aid to his alleged victim at the 1600 block of Plymouth Avenue North.[5] Police attempted to get him to leave the EMT workers and when that failed attempted to arrest him, a violent scuffle broke out leading to shots being fired.

In a statement on November 16, police chief Janeé Harteau indicated that the Minneapolis Police Department's preliminary information suggested that Clark was not restrained with handcuffs when shot.[6] The President of the Minneapolis Police Union Bob Kroll claimed that Clark was actively resisting arrest and tried to take the weapon of one of the officers, and that he was not handcuffed at the moment of the shooting.[7][8]

Several witnesses have said that, at the moment the police officer shot Clark, Clark was lying on the ground, was not resisting arrest, and was handcuffed.[9]

Political reaction

Immediate response

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) issued a statement condemning the shooting and demanded an independent investigation.[10] The Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis defended the officers' actions during the shooting, adding that they had no previous disciplinary issues and pointing out a preceding incident in which an Aitkin County sheriff's deputy was disarmed and killed with his own gun.[4]

Administrative leave

Mark Ringgenberg and Dustin Schwarze, who have both been with the department for 13 months, both were subsequently placed on paid administrative leave while the investigation is ongoing.[11]

Local politics

Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges stated that she contacted the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice and the US Attorney for Minnesota in order to request an outside investigation in the "interest of transparency and community confidence."[12] Although Minnesota's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension had already begun an investigation, Hodges indicated that Minneapolis needed "all the tools we have available to us" to investigate the shooting.[12]

Protest reaction

Nekima Levy-Pounds speaks during a Black Lives Matter demonstration for Clark in Minneapolis.

Black Lives Matter (BLM) activists and supporters protested for days outside the police precinct protesting against information hiding, demanding for release of police dashcam and bodycam videos containing material evidence that can prove what police say about the incident.[13][14]

Shooting of protesters

Days before the shooting, the suspects released a video of them using racial slurs while preparing to bring their weapons to a protest that night.[15] Later during the protests, a shooting occurred at 10:45 p.m. on November 23.[16] The shooters, claimed by BLM members to be white supremacists who had been regularly appearing at the rallies over the previous several nights, were chased by protesters away from the demonstration before the shooters turned and oened fire.[16] Five men were shot, but none of them suffered life-threatening wounds.[17][16][18][19][20] One of the injured protesters later claimed he heard the N-word being used during the incident, although he did not state who exactly said it.[21] Shots were also overheard the following night, though no injuries were reported.[22]

At 11:20 a.m. the next day, a 23-year-old white man was taken into custody in Bloomington.[16][18][19] A 32-year-old Hispanic man was arrested in Minneapolis, but was later released after it was determined he was not at the scene of the shooting.[18] At 2:30 p.m., two white men, ages 21 and 26, turned themselves in to police.[23] Four men were charged in the shootings: Lawrence Scarsell, 23, with riot and five counts of assault (both in the second degree), and Daniel Thomas Macey, 26, Nathan Wayne Gustavsson, 21, and Joseph Martin Backman, 27, each with a charge of second-degree riot.[22]

Several of the men in custody are believed to have posted on 4chan's /pol/ and /k/ imageboards in connection with the shooting.[24][25][26][27][28][29]

Removal of protest camp

Protesters had camped outside of the 4th precinct for 18 days. At 4:00 a.m. on December 3, police arrived and handed out fliers stating protesters had ten minutes to leave. Later police began removing the encampments and most of the protesters left. Eight protesters who refused to leave were placed under arrest.[30]

Subsequent actions

Black Lives Matters staged a December 23 protest of Clark's death at the Mall of America in Bloomington, a year after a similar protest in December 2014. The Mall sought to block the 2015 demonstrations, resulting in three of the protest's organizers being legally barred from entering the space.[31] Protesters marched from the mall then took Metro Transit trains to the Terminal 2 station of the Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport where they were blocked by police and Terminal 2 security checkpoints were closed. Other protesters drove to Terminal 1 and blocked incoming airport traffic on Minnesota State Highway 5. A total 13 demonstrators were arrested.[32]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Potter, Kyle (November 21, 2015). "Jamar Clark's troubled life - and death". Associated Press.
  2. ^ a b Mannix, Andy (November 30, 2015). "Updated: What we know about the shooting of five protesters and the Jamar Clark investigation". MinnPost. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  3. ^ Xaykaothao, Doualy (November 18, 2015). "'He should still be here': Parents of Jamar Clark demand the truth". MPR News. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  4. ^ a b Rachel Chazin (November 19, 2015). "Police union: Jamar Clark went for cop's gun, wasn't cuffed". KSMP.
  5. ^ Chanen, David; Jany, Libor (November 20, 2015). "Protesters, police have tense night outside 4th Precinct HQ". Star Tribune. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
  6. ^ Walsh, Paul; Jany, Libor (November 15, 2015). "Anger builds after police shoot assault suspect in Minneapolis". Star Tribune. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
  7. ^ KARE 11 staff (November 18, 2015). "Union: Clark shot while trying to take officer's gun". KARE-TV. Retrieved November 20, 2015.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ Zurowski, Cory (November 18, 2015). "Minneapolis police union president: Jamar Clark "was a justifiable shooting"". City Pages. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
  9. ^ Graham, David A. (November 18, 2015). "How Did Jamar Clark Die?". The Atlantic. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
  10. ^ "Minneapolis Police Murder Jamar Clark". NAACP. November 15, 2015.
  11. ^ Cleary, Tom (November 24, 2015). "Jamar Clark: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
  12. ^ a b "Minneapolis Seeks Civil Rights Investigation into Police Shooting of Jamar Clark". NBC News. Associated Press. November 17, 2015. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
  13. ^ Chuck, Elizabeth. "Tension Rises Between Protesters, Police After Killing of Unarmed Minneapolis Man". NBC News. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
  14. ^ "Minneapolis NAACP chief demands release of video of Minnesota shooting". Yahoo News. Reuters. November 19, 2015. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
  15. ^ Miller, Michael. "The chilling video that foreshadowed violence days before Minneapolis shootings". www.washingtonpost.com. Washington Post. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
  16. ^ a b c d Zamora, Karen. "3 men in custody, 1 released in Minneapolis 4th Precinct protest shooting". Star Tribune. Retrieved January 16, 2015.
  17. ^ Smith, Mary Lynn. "Five people were shot near Black Lives Matter protest site". Star Tribune. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
  18. ^ a b c Baumhardt, Alex; Lowery, Wesley; Berman, Mark. "Minneapolis police say three people in custody after shooting injures five near protests, one suspect released". washingtonpost.com. Washington Post. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
  19. ^ a b Wagner, Laura. "3 People In Custody In Shooting Of 5 Black Lives Matter Protesters In Minneapolis". npr.org. National Public Radio. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
  20. ^ Payne, Ed. "3 in custody after shooting near Jamar Clark protest site in Minneapolis". CNN. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
  21. ^ "Court document says Minneapolis Black Lives Matter Jamar Clark protest shooting suspect confessed to police officer friend". CBS News. November 24, 2015. Retrieved November 28, 2015.
  22. ^ a b Berman, Mark (November 30, 2015). "Four men charged after protesters shot near Minneapolis police protests". Washington Post. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
  23. ^ "Justice for Jamar Clark protests continue after 5 shot, police hold 3 suspects". RT. November 25, 2015. Retrieved January 17, 2016.
  24. ^ Kaplan, Sarah (December 1, 2015). "Minn. man accused in Black Lives Matter shootings reportedly subscribed to 'sovereign citizen' subculture". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
  25. ^ Cush, Andy (November 24, 2015). "Video Shows 4chan White Supremacists Bringing Gun to Minneapolis Protest Days Before Shooting". Gawker. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
  26. ^ Feldman, Brian (November 25, 2015). "Inside /pol/, the 4chan Politics Board Shouted Out in Minneapolis Gun Video". New York Magazine. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
  27. ^ Furber, Matt (November 25, 2015). "4 Arrested in Shooting at Black Lives Matter Protest Are Identified". The New York Times. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
  28. ^ McKay, Tom (November 28, 2015). "4chan Tentatively Linked to Shooting at Black Lives Matter Rally in Minneapolis". Mic. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
  29. ^ "State of Minnesota vs Allen Lawrence Scarsella" (PDF). Star Tribune. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  30. ^ "Minneapolis police clear protesters from 4th precinct". Fox 9. November 24, 2015. Retrieved December 3, 2015.
  31. ^ Holpuch, Amanda (December 23, 2015). "Black Lives Matter protest shuts down Mall of America and airport terminal". The Guardian. Retrieved January 16, 2016.
  32. ^ Smith, Kelly; Chanen, David; Reinan, John (December 24, 2015). "Black Lives Matter protests spill over to light rail, airport". Star Tribune. Retrieved January 16, 2016.
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