SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Protesters marching in Milwaukee to demand justice for Dontre Hamilton on August 18, 2014. (Photo: Light Brigading/flickr/cc)
Milwaukee Police Officer Won't Face Charges for Shooting of Unarmed Black Man
National Guard on alert as protests begin for Dontre Hamilton, who was shot 14 times in April 30 encounter
Dec 22, 2014
Former Milwaukee police officer Christopher Manney will not be charged in the shooting death of 31-year-old Dontre Hamilton that took place earlier this year, Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm announced Monday.
"This was a tragic incident for the Hamilton family and for the community," Chisholm stated in a press release. "But, based on all the evidence and analysis presented in this report, I come to the conclusion that Officer Manney's use of force in this incident was justified self-defense and that defense cannot be reasonably overcome to establish a basis to charge Officer Manney with a crime."
The judge's decision comes amid ongoing civil rights protests throughout the country over police killings of black men and women.
After Chisholm's announcement, protesters said they would meet in Milwaukee's Red Arrow Park, where Hamilton was killed, to stage an action against the decision. The National Guard is reportedly "on alert" to respond.
The decision comes months after the April 30 shooting at Red Arrow Park. The Milwaukee Wisconsin Sun Journal reports:
Manney shot Hamilton 14 times on April 30 during an incident that began when workers at the nearby Starbucks called police to complain about him sleeping in the downtown park. A pair of officers checked on Hamilton twice and found he was doing nothing wrong, according to a Milwaukee police internal affairs investigation.
According to that same investigation, Hamilton allegedly assaulted Manney with his own baton. Manney then shot him.
But the Hamilton family's attorney, Jonathan Safran, says forensic evidence pointed to Manney assaulting Hamilton, who was unarmed at the time of the confrontation. The autopsy showed "blunt force trauma injuries to his head and face," Safran told WISN earlier this month.
"We wanted there to be more evidence about the 14 shots that were fired," Safran said. "Seven of those would appear to be in a downward direction based upon the medical examiner's report. One of the shots being into Dontre's back."
An Unconstitutional Rampage
Trump and Musk are on an unconstitutional rampage, aiming for virtually every corner of the federal government. These two right-wing billionaires are targeting nurses, scientists, teachers, daycare providers, judges, veterans, air traffic controllers, and nuclear safety inspectors. No one is safe. The food stamps program, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are next. It’s an unprecedented disaster and a five-alarm fire, but there will be a reckoning. The people did not vote for this. The American people do not want this dystopian hellscape that hides behind claims of “efficiency.” Still, in reality, it is all a giveaway to corporate interests and the libertarian dreams of far-right oligarchs like Musk. Common Dreams is playing a vital role by reporting day and night on this orgy of corruption and greed, as well as what everyday people can do to organize and fight back. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover issues the corporate media never will, but we can only continue with our readers’ support. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Nadia Prupis
Nadia Prupis is a former Common Dreams staff writer. She wrote on media policy for Truthout.org and has been published in New America Media and AlterNet. She graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a BA in English in 2008.
Former Milwaukee police officer Christopher Manney will not be charged in the shooting death of 31-year-old Dontre Hamilton that took place earlier this year, Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm announced Monday.
"This was a tragic incident for the Hamilton family and for the community," Chisholm stated in a press release. "But, based on all the evidence and analysis presented in this report, I come to the conclusion that Officer Manney's use of force in this incident was justified self-defense and that defense cannot be reasonably overcome to establish a basis to charge Officer Manney with a crime."
The judge's decision comes amid ongoing civil rights protests throughout the country over police killings of black men and women.
After Chisholm's announcement, protesters said they would meet in Milwaukee's Red Arrow Park, where Hamilton was killed, to stage an action against the decision. The National Guard is reportedly "on alert" to respond.
The decision comes months after the April 30 shooting at Red Arrow Park. The Milwaukee Wisconsin Sun Journal reports:
Manney shot Hamilton 14 times on April 30 during an incident that began when workers at the nearby Starbucks called police to complain about him sleeping in the downtown park. A pair of officers checked on Hamilton twice and found he was doing nothing wrong, according to a Milwaukee police internal affairs investigation.
According to that same investigation, Hamilton allegedly assaulted Manney with his own baton. Manney then shot him.
But the Hamilton family's attorney, Jonathan Safran, says forensic evidence pointed to Manney assaulting Hamilton, who was unarmed at the time of the confrontation. The autopsy showed "blunt force trauma injuries to his head and face," Safran told WISN earlier this month.
"We wanted there to be more evidence about the 14 shots that were fired," Safran said. "Seven of those would appear to be in a downward direction based upon the medical examiner's report. One of the shots being into Dontre's back."
Nadia Prupis
Nadia Prupis is a former Common Dreams staff writer. She wrote on media policy for Truthout.org and has been published in New America Media and AlterNet. She graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a BA in English in 2008.
Former Milwaukee police officer Christopher Manney will not be charged in the shooting death of 31-year-old Dontre Hamilton that took place earlier this year, Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm announced Monday.
"This was a tragic incident for the Hamilton family and for the community," Chisholm stated in a press release. "But, based on all the evidence and analysis presented in this report, I come to the conclusion that Officer Manney's use of force in this incident was justified self-defense and that defense cannot be reasonably overcome to establish a basis to charge Officer Manney with a crime."
The judge's decision comes amid ongoing civil rights protests throughout the country over police killings of black men and women.
After Chisholm's announcement, protesters said they would meet in Milwaukee's Red Arrow Park, where Hamilton was killed, to stage an action against the decision. The National Guard is reportedly "on alert" to respond.
The decision comes months after the April 30 shooting at Red Arrow Park. The Milwaukee Wisconsin Sun Journal reports:
Manney shot Hamilton 14 times on April 30 during an incident that began when workers at the nearby Starbucks called police to complain about him sleeping in the downtown park. A pair of officers checked on Hamilton twice and found he was doing nothing wrong, according to a Milwaukee police internal affairs investigation.
According to that same investigation, Hamilton allegedly assaulted Manney with his own baton. Manney then shot him.
But the Hamilton family's attorney, Jonathan Safran, says forensic evidence pointed to Manney assaulting Hamilton, who was unarmed at the time of the confrontation. The autopsy showed "blunt force trauma injuries to his head and face," Safran told WISN earlier this month.
"We wanted there to be more evidence about the 14 shots that were fired," Safran said. "Seven of those would appear to be in a downward direction based upon the medical examiner's report. One of the shots being into Dontre's back."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.