Jamar Clark died from a gunshot wound to the head after an encounter with two Minneapolis police officers - Mark Ringgenberg and Dustin Schwarze - in North Minneapolis early in the morning of Nov. 15. Some witnesses have said Clark, who was 24, was handcuffed when he was shot. A police union official said Clark was trying to grab an officer's gun when he was shot. County, state and federal officials investigated the shooting. Clark's funeral took place Nov. 25.
Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced on March 30 that his office will not bring charges against officers Ringgenberg and Schwarze in Clark's death. Freeman also said that based on officers' testimony, some witness statements and forensic evidence that Clark was not handcuffed at the time of the shooting. Freeman said the evidence supports the officers' account that Clark grabbed one of their guns. The county attorney's office released a large trove of documents related to the investigation.
The shooting highlighted the often strained relationship between residents of Minneapolis' North Side and the city's police department. It has also brought more attention to the economic struggles of Minnesota's black residents, who badly trail their white counterparts in terms of household income and educational achievement.
The Hennepin County Attorney's Office announced March 16 that it will eliminate the use of a grand jury in police-involved shootings, including the death of Jamar Clark, acceding to one of the demands of protesters. Minneapolis Police Chief Janeé Harteau warned protesters on March 24 that violence will not be tolerated in response to a decision on whether to charge the officers.
Here's what we know about the incident and the events that followed. Click one of the links below to jump to a section.
The incident
- The confrontation began at about 12:45 a.m. Sunday in the 1600 block of Plymouth Avenue N. Police responded to a disturbance call across the street from the Elks Lodge, a popular neighborhood hangout less than two blocks from the precinct station.