Prosecuting Egregious Police Crimes: When the Law Is Out of Order
(Part 4: The Jamar Clark (Minneapolis) Case
Leid Stories concludes a series on legal issues and challenges involved in prosecuting police officers charged with killing civilians. Today’s installment focuses on a police killing that has sparked community outrage and protest since Nov. 15—the day Jamar Clark, 24, was shot in the head by a Minneapolis police officer during a highly contentious arrest. Eyewitnesses claim Clark was restrained and handcuffed when he was killed, but police say he tried to take an officer’s gun away from him.
“The People’s Attorney General” Alton H. Maddox Jr., who set many legal precedents litigating police-brutality and hate-crime cases in New York, discusses key legal issues in the case that are at the root of ongoing protests demanding a federal investigation.