MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Two Minneapolis police officers followed proper procedure in a confrontation that led to the fatal shooting of a black man in November, and won’t face discipline, the city’s police chief announced Friday.
Chief Janee Harteau said an internal investigation found the officers were warranted in using deadly force in the death of Jamar Clark, 24.
Clark was shot in the head on Nov. 15 in a confrontation with Officers Mark Ringgenberg and Dustin Schwarze on the city’s north side. His death set off protests that lasted several weeks, including an 18-day encampment around the area’s police precinct.
A local prosecutor and the U.S. attorney both declined earlier to charge the officers – both white – in Clark’s death, citing conflicting testimony from witnesses.
“These officers did not dictate the outcome of this incident,” Harteau said. “I can say with absolute certainty that I support the actions of Officers Ringgenberg and Schwarze the night of Nov. 15.”