Justice

Minneapolis Police Allegedly Shot This Handcuffed Man Execution Style 

November 16th 2015

Activists took to the streets and protested outside the Minneapolis Police Department after a man was fatally shot in the head by Minnesota police early Sunday morning.

Witnesses say that 24-year-old Jamar Clark was unarmed and handcuffed when an officer shot him, but police dispute that he was in handcuffs.

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Two officers have been placed on paid administrative leave pending an internal review, the department said in a statement. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the U.S. Justice Department, and the FBI are all currently investigating the shooting.

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Authorities say that the officers were responding to a report that Clark was allegedly assaulting his girlfriend around 12:45 a.m. Sunday. They were called back to the scene after Clark reportedly hindered emergency responders from aiding the victim. It is unclear what prompted the shooting, but witnesses report that Clark was handcuffed and killed "execution style."

"The young man was just laying there," Teto Wilson, a resident who claims to have witnessed the shooting, said. "He was not resisting arrest. 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."

Hundreds gathered for a rally several blocks away from the police precinct on Sunday afternoon, demanding video footage of the shooting. Black Lives Matter activists and the Minneapolis chapter of the NAACP have called for the officers to be fired, and the hashtag, #Justice4Jamar, has started trending.

In a statement, Minneapolis NAACP president Nekima Levy-Pounds said that the organization "stands in solidarity with North Side Community residents in demanding accountability for the egregious conduct of Minneapolis Police officers, when they shot and killed Jamar Clark, early this morning in North Minneapolis."

She added:

"Specifically we are demanding an independent investigation; that the officers in question be fired and prosecuted; that African American grief counselors for witnesses be supplied; and a public apology from city leaders for the police abuse that occurred and how residents were treated following the shooting."

ATTN: reached out to the Minneapolis Police Department, but a representative could not be reached by the time of publication.

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