Civil rights charges declined in police shooting of Minneapolis black man

An attorney of the U.S. State of Minnesota on Wednesday declined to bring civil rights charges against two Minneapolis police officers in the death of a black man last November that sparked weeks of protests.

U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger said at a press conference in Minnesota that his office would not file civil rights charges against officers Mark Ringgenberg and Dustin Schwarze after the investigation concluded that Jamar Clark, the deceased black man, was not handcuffed when shot down, according to CBS News.

The question of whether or not Clark, then 24, was handcuffed when shot down by police was a key issue in the case which happened on Nov. 15, 2015, near Minneapolis' North Side police precinct.

Witnesses had insisted that Clark was handcuffed when he was shot, a claim disputed by the police.

The deadly confrontation began after paramedics notified the police that a man, later identified by the authorities as Clark, was interfering with their efforts to treat an assault victim.

The shooting occurred merely 61 seconds after Ringgenberg and Schwarze encountered Clark.

According to an investigation by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Clark refused orders to take his hands out of his pockets and in their wrestle, Officer Ringgenberg felt Clark's hand on his weapon.

Officer Schwarze then shot Clark in the head, said the investigation.

It was the second time that the two officers in the incident were cleared of charges.

In March, an attorney declined to file criminal charges against the officers, citing forensic evidence that found no bruising of Clark's wrists that handcuffs would likely have caused.

Clark's DNA was also found on Ringgenberg's gun, according to the attorney. Enditem