Officer won’t be charged in shooting that paralyzed Iowa man
IOWA CITY, Iowa — A white police officer will not be charged in a shooting that left an unarmed black motorist paralyzed and sparked protests in Iowa’s second largest city, a prosecutor said Tuesday.
A grand jury declined to return an indictment against Cedar Rapids police officer Lucas Jones in the Nov. 1 shooting of Jerime Mitchell, Linn County Attorney Jerry Vander Sanden said, marking the second time since last year that Jones has been cleared after using deadly force.
The decision infuriated supporters of Mitchell, who had questioned whether the shooting was justified and called for Vander Sanden to appoint a special prosecutor. Mitchell, 37, remains hospitalized in Lincoln, Nebraska, with a bullet lodged in his neck.
Mitchell’s attorney, Paula Roby, criticized Vander Sanden for concluding the investigation without interviewing her client, who regained the ability to talk in recent weeks. She had arranged to have Mitchell’s statement taken next week and said Mitchell’s family was “shocked and disappointed” by Tuesday’s announcement.