No federal charges in police shooting of unarmed Jamar Clark

MINNEAPOLIS, June 1 (UPI) -- Federal prosecutors said they will not pursue civil rights charges against two white police officers who fatally shot black suspect Jamar Clark.

The unarmed 24-year-old died from a gunshot wound to the head Nov. 15 after police responded to reports of a domestic disturbance in Minneapolis. His killing sparked weeks of protests.

U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger said Wednesday there was "insufficient evidence" to bring a federal case against Mark Ringgenberg and Dustin Schwarze, the officers involved.

In March, hundreds of protesters took to the streets after authorities said that there would be no criminal charges against the officers. They had acted in self-defense, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman determined.

Police said Clark was a suspect in a domestic assault case and was shot as he interfered with paramedics and fought with police.

Since the day of his death, community members have maintained that Clark was in handcuffs when he was fatally shot by Schwarze. Police have disputed that.

Luger said their investigation concluded that Clark was not handcuffed when he was shot.

He noted that statements from witnesses on this point conflicted and undermined "the degree to which they could be used to either disprove the officers' accounts or to ... establish that Clark was handcuffed."

Luger added that DNA evidence from the handcuffs does "not support the conclusion that Clark" had them on. He also pointed to a lack of bruising on Clark's wrists, which would have suggested that he was handcuffed.

Previously, police had said Clark was not handcuffed and refused to take his hand off Ringgenberg's weapon. Protesters argued the police investigation into the shooting concealed vital evidence, citing racism.

Clark's family members were in tears after the press conference and did not talk to the news media.

Nekima Levy-Pounds, head of the Minneapolis NAACP, said: "We are tired of what is happening" and being "treated like second-class citizens," adding: "They don't want to give us justice."