Case file
Killing of Jamar Clark
Documents violence · ongoing investigation — written to inform, not to shock.
On November 15, 2015, Jamar Clark, a 24-year-old African-American man, was shot by Minneapolis Police Department officers Mark Ringgenberg and Dustin Schwarze in the Fourth Precinct area of Minneapolis. The encounter began after a birthday party dispute at an apartment on Plymouth Avenue North led to a physical altercation involving Clark's girlfriend and paramedics being called. When police arrived around 12:45 a.m., a struggle occurred; officials said Clark was not handcuffed and had gained control of one officer's firearm, at which point the other officer shot him. Clark was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center and died the following night, November 16, after being removed from life support. An autopsy determined the cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head. Ringgenberg and Schwarze were placed on paid administrative leave pending investigation.
Accounts of the shooting conflicted. Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman and the Minneapolis Police Union stated that Clark was not handcuffed and had struggled for an officer's gun, a version supported by DNA evidence and multiple law-enforcement and paramedic witnesses. However, several bystanders — including Nekelia Sharp, Teto Wilson, Keisha Steele, and Everett Spicer — said Clark appeared to be restrained or motionless when shot. The U.S. Department of Justice later found witness accounts inconsistent regarding whether and how Clark was handcuffed.
The shooting prompted sustained protests led by Black Lives Matter outside the Fourth Precinct station lasting 18 days, as well as demonstrations elsewhere in the Minneapolis area, including at the Mall of America and Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport. During one protest on November 23, 2015, a group of men were confronted and chased by protesters before one opened fire, wounding five people. Four men were subsequently charged: Lawrence Scarsella, who was sentenced in 2017 to 15 years for the shooting; Nathan Wayne Gustavsson, sentenced to eight months in a workhouse; Joseph Martin Backman, sentenced to 90 days of house arrest for aiding an offender; and Daniel Thomas Macey, whose charges were dismissed.
In response to community pressure, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced in March 2016 that his office would no longer use grand juries to decide charges in police-involved shootings. On March 30, 2016, Freeman announced that no charges would be filed against Ringgenberg or Schwarze, concluding the state could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that their use of force was unlawful under Minnesota law. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and a subsequent U.S. Department of Justice review both concluded the officers acted in self-defense, and the DOJ declined to bring federal civil rights charges, citing insufficient evidence.
In August 2019, attorneys for Clark's family confirmed a $200,000 civil settlement with the City of Minneapolis, which the city council approved on August 23, 2019. Clark's death remained a recurring reference point in subsequent protests over police killings of Black men in Minneapolis, including during the 2020–2021 unrest following the killing of George Floyd.
Key facts
- Victims
- Jamar Clark
- Date
- 2015
- Location
- Plymouth Avenue North, Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Case status
- solved
Case timeline
2015-11-15
Minneapolis police officers Mark Ringgenberg and Dustin Schwarze shoot Jamar Clark during an encounter following a domestic dispute call.
2015-11-16
Jamar Clark dies at Hennepin County Medical Center after being taken off life support.
2015-11-17
Hennepin County Medical Examiner releases autopsy report concluding Clark died from a gunshot wound to the head.
2015-11-23
Five protesters are shot near the Fourth Precinct demonstration; four men are later charged in connection with the shooting.
2015-12-03
Police clear the 18-day protest encampment outside the Fourth Precinct; eight protesters are arrested.
2015-12-23
Black Lives Matter stages protest of Clark's death at the Mall of America and Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport; 13 people are arrested.
2016-01-18
Protesters block the Lake Street–Marshall Bridge on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in connection with Clark's case.
2016-03-16
Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announces his office will stop using grand juries in police-involved shooting cases.
2016-03-30
Freeman announces no charges will be filed against officers Ringgenberg and Schwarze.
2017-01-24
Witness Bret Levin testifies about racially charged texts exchanged with defendant Lawrence Scarsella.
2017-02-27
Charges against Daniel Thomas Macey are dismissed.
2017-04-26
Lawrence Scarsella is sentenced to 15 years for the November 23, 2015 shooting of protesters.
2017-07-20
Nathan Wayne Gustavsson is sentenced to eight months in the workhouse; Joseph Martin Backman is sentenced to 90 days house arrest.
2019-06-13
Dustin Schwarze is removed as a plaintiff in a civil lawsuit filed by Clark's family.
2019-08-23
Minneapolis City Council approves a $200,000 civil settlement with Clark's family.
Best coverage
No approved coverage links are attached yet.
People
Dustin Schwarze
LAW ENFORCEMENTMinneapolis police officer who fired the fatal shot; not charged after investigation.
citation on file
Mark Ringgenberg
LAW ENFORCEMENTMinneapolis police officer involved in the shooting; not charged after investigation.
citation on file
Daniel Thomas Macey
CHARGEDCharged with second-degree riot in connection with the November 23, 2015 shooting; charges later dismissed.
citation on file
Jamar Clark
VICTIM24-year-old African-American man fatally shot by Minneapolis police on November 15, 2015; died November 16, 2015.
citation on file
Nathan Wayne Gustavsson
CONVICTEDPleaded guilty to felony second-degree riot and aiding an offender; sentenced to eight months in the workhouse.
citation on file
Joseph Martin Backman
CONVICTEDSentenced to 90 days house arrest for aiding an offender after the fact; riot charge dismissed.
citation on file
Lawrence Scarsella
CONVICTEDSentenced to 15 years for shooting five protesters near the Fourth Precinct on November 23, 2015.
citation on file
Places
Common questions
- What happened to the victim?
- On November 15, 2015, Minneapolis police officers Mark Ringgenberg and Dustin Schwarze fatally shot Jamar Clark, a 24-year-old Black man, during an encounter after a domestic dispute call. Clark died the next day; no criminal charges were filed against the officers, and Clark's family later reached a $200,000 civil settlement with the city.
- Where did the killing happen?
- Plymouth Avenue North, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
- Who was convicted?
- Nathan Wayne Gustavsson (Pleaded guilty to felony second-degree riot and aiding an offender; sentenced to eight months in the workhouse.), Joseph Martin Backman (Sentenced to 90 days house arrest for aiding an offender after the fact; riot charge dismissed.), and Lawrence Scarsella (Sentenced to 15 years for shooting five protesters near the Fourth Precinct on November 23, 2015.).
- What is the current status of the case?
- Status: solved.
Sources
- Killing of Jamar Clarkwikipedia · Wikipedia · 2026-07-07
- Minneapolis police arrest two people after shooting injures five near protestsnews · The Washington Post · 2026-07-07
- Minneapolis Black Lives Matter protest over Jamar Clark police shootingnews · CBS News · 2026-07-07
