Jamar Clark Shooting: Officials Release Names of Minneapolis Police Officers Involved in Shooting
Minnesota officials released on Wednesday the names and information of the two Minneapolis police officers involved in the fatal shooting of Jamar Clark, a 24-year-old unarmed black man, on Sunday.
After being shot in the head early Sunday morning, Clark was taken off life support Monday and died later that evening. However, the circumstances surrounding his murder remain unclear.
The cops involved, officers Mike Ringgenberg and Dustin Schwarze, are seven-year veterans who joined that city's police force in late 2013, reports CNN. They are currently on administrative leave, said the Minnesota Department of Public Safety's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
The bureau also released a statement describing the events that led up to his death. According to officials, Clark allegedly interfered when first responders arrived on the scene to help a woman who said she has been assaulted by a man, reports The Atlantic.
"The two Minneapolis police officers responded to a request for assistance from paramedics who reported an individual, now identified as Mr. Clark, disrupting their ability to aid an assault victim at that location," reads the statement.
"Minneapolis police have said that Mr. Clark was a suspect in the assault. At some point during an altercation that ensued between the officers and Mr. Clark, an officer discharged his weapon, striking Mr. Clark," state authorities said, without naming the officer that opened fire.
However, several eye witnesses say Clark was handcuffed when he was shot in the head, but police insist he was not.
"The young man was just laying there; he was not resisting arrest," said Teto Wilson, according to the local NAACP chapter. "Two officers were surrounding the victim on the ground, an officer maneuvered his body around to shield Jamar's body, and I heard the shot go off."
In response, Black Lives Matters protesters have been demonstrating in Minneapolis since Monday. On Monday night, demonstrators stopped traffic on Interstate 94, which led to the arrest of 51 people. Activists also rallied outside the police precinct nearby Clark's murder scene, demanding police release video of the shooting.
On Wednesday, police removed activists who were camped outside the Police Department's Fourth Precinct headquarters. Officers then erected metal barricades in front of the building, and uniformed officers formed a line out front.
Subscribe to Latin Post!
Sign up for our free newsletter for the Latest coverage!