Protesters want answers in Minneapolis man’s shooting

Protesters in Minneapolis on Monday demanded the release of video footage of the shooting of Jamar Clark, a black man who they say was fatally shot by police while unarmed and handcuffed over the weekend.

Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is investigating the early Sunday incident, Minneapolis police said. Police did not immediately provide more information about the incident and a representative from the criminal apprehension bureau did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Deaths of unarmed black men and women at the hands of police over the past year have fueled criticism over the treatment of minorities by police in the United States and rekindled a national civil rights movement under the banner Black Lives Matter.

A man identified by local activists as Clark, who is in his mid-20s, was suspected of assault and was shot by a police officer while allegedly hindering emergency responders from aiding his victim early on Sunday morning, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported.

Clark was not handcuffed when police shot him, the newspaper cited Minneapolis Police Chief Janeé Harteau as saying.

However, witnesses report that Clark was handcuffed while shot in the head and that the body was removed quickly from the scene, Black Lives Matter Minneapolis said in a statement posted on Facebook.

Black Lives Matter Minneapolis held a news conference on Monday, demanding answers, police accountability and an independent investigation.

Community members have occupied the entry to a police precinct in north Minneapolis since Sunday afternoon, with 15 spending the night, officials of the group said.

Black Lives Matter Minneapolis said in its statement that they don't plan to leave until video and the name of the officer are released, and Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges takes action on an outside, federal investigation.

"We are not here for show and tell. We are here for answers," community activist John Martin said on Monday. "We are going to stay here and find out what happened."

In a statement, the Minneapolis National Association for the Advancement of Colored People said Clark "was murdered, execution style" by police, and that witnesses said police handcuffed Clark and slammed him to the ground around 1 a.m. on Sunday.

"The young man was just laying there; he was not resisting arrest. Two officers were surrounding the victim on the ground, an officer maneuvered his body around to shield Jamar's body, and I heard the shot go off," resident and business owner Teto Wilson said in a statement released by the NAACP.

The mayor and police chief held a public listening session about the shooting on Sunday at the Minneapolis Urban League, the mayor said on Twitter.