No Charges in Jamar Clark Case

At an hourlong press conference, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced there would not be any charges filed against the officers in the Jamar Clark case in North Minneapolis.

Freeman gave very detailed information about the events that led up to the shooting and the investigation that took place after the shooting, which eventually was handled by the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. All of the findings and reports are available on the Hennepin County Attorney's website.

Here is some of what happened, according to the report. Freeman said that a thorough four-month investigation after the Nov. 15 shooting revealed that Clark was not handcuffed at any time. Police were called to the scene because Clark had been identified as a suspect in a domestic assault and was interfering with paramedics' efforts to treat the victim.

When the two officers, Mark Ringgenberg and Dustin Schwarze arrived, they ordered Clark to remove his hands from his pockets to make sure he did not have a gun. When he refused, the officers moved in and attempted to handcuff Clark. When he resisted, Ringgenberg took Clark to the ground and landed on top of him. However, Ringgenberg felt his gun move to the small of his back. When he reached for it, he felt Clark's hand on the gun, an account that was supported by DNA evidence.

Schwarze threatened to shoot Clark if he did not release the gun. Clark refused to do so and Schwarze shot Clark in the head. Freeman said Schwarze's actions were reasonable because if Clark successfully pulled the gun from the holster, Ringgenberg and Schwarze would have been shot and other bystanders might have been hit as well.

Already protesters are blocking the street near the shooting and there is unrest in the black community in North Minneapolis. One member of Black Lives Matter told Freeman, "If the city burns it will be on your head."