Justice Department to review Dontra Hamilton death
The family of a mentally ill black Milwaukee man who was fatally shot by a white police officer in April said Tuesday they are hopeful the officer will be charged after the Justice Department announced it will review the case for civil rights violations.
Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm said Monday that his office will not pursue charges against former Officer Christopher Manney in connection with Dontra Hamilton’s death.
Dontre Hamilton’s brother, Nate Hamilton, said the family hopes federal investigators can take a more objective look at the case than Milwaukee authorities and weigh all the evidence. The state Division of Criminal Investigation led the review of the case, and Nate Hamilton said the family thinks that agency works too closely with Milwaukee police to be impartial.
“I think we’ll get a better look. I want to be confident in it, but, right now, I cannot put my trust in the system,” he said.
Manney is at least the third white police officer in the country to be cleared of any wrongdoing when taking the life of a black man in the past month.
In November, a grand jury decided not to indict former Officer Darren Wilson for killing Mike Brown, and not even a week later, Office Danny Pantaleo was cleared in the chokehold death of Eric Garner in New York City.
We must continue to demand justice. Check back for updates.
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