A grand jury has cleared Cedar Rapids, Iowa police officer Lucas Jones of any indictment charges for the November shooting of 37-year old Jerime Mitchell, which left him paralyzed. Linn County officials also decided that no charges would be brought against Mitchell for the small bags of marijuana that were found in his truck at the time of the incident.
Officer Jones and Mitchell got into an altercation during a traffic stop. The routine stop soon turned violent when Jones shot Mitchell in the neck, causing him to collide with two other vehicles before stopping his truck. Mitchell was transported to a hospital and treated for severe injuries. It was soon determined that he was paralyzed from the neck down due to Jones' bullet entering the left side of his neck and lodging into his spine below his voice box, according to KCRG.
Following Tuesday's decision, Mitchell's attorney Paula Roby heavily criticized Linn County Attorney Jerry Vander Sanden and his office for coming to a conclusion so quickly without seeking a statement from her client, who had only recently regained the ability to talk. According to Roby, Mitchell was more than willing to give his account of the incident, and she had arranged for an investigator to take his statement next week, Fox News reports. "The family is shocked and disappointed," Roby said of the decision.
This is reportedly the second time in one year that Vander Sanden's Sheriff's Office has declined to file charges against Officer Jones for his use of deadly force, according to Fox. In October of 2015, Jones was being investigated for shooting and killing a 21-year-old white man who allegedly pointed a loaded gun at him and another officer on duty. The man was reportedly shot 16 times. Vander Sanden ruled that Jones and the other officer acted within a reasonable belief that lethal force was necessary to defend themselves in that case.
The police union has reportedly backed the grand jury's decision to dismiss a case against Jones, but the decision has sparked much outrage among Cedar Rapids residents and other supporters. After the shooting, Mitchell's family and friends began the "Justice for Danky" movement, using his nickname to protest his wrongful shooting. The group of protesters initially organized a council meeting in November to put pressure on the city for answers in his incident. Mitchell is a part of the growing number of unarmed black men who have been shot by police, and the officers involved aren't charged. Mitchell is reportedly still at the University of Iowa Hospital, where he remains in critical condition.
Source: complex.com
