CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A white police officer will not face charges in a shooting that left an unarmed black motorist paralyzed and sparked protests in Iowa's second largest city.
Linn County Attorney Jerry Vander Sanden announced Tuesday that a grand jury declined to return an indictment against Cedar Rapids police officer Lucas Jones in the Nov. 1 shooting of 37-year-old Jerime Mitchell.
The decision stunned and angered supporters of Mitchell, who had called for Vander Sanden to step aside in favor of a special prosecutor. Mitchell remains hospitalized in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Police have said that Jones shot Mitchell in the neck during an altercation that stemmed from a traffic stop. Using his nickname, Mitchell's supporters have led a "Justice for Danky" campaign and called for police to release video of the shooting.