Freeman: Thousands Looking At Evidence In Jamar Clark Case

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- It's been nearly a week since it was decided that charges won't be filed against police in the Jamar Clark shooting.

Despite questions raised by community members, the man who made that decision stands firm, and it appears people are taking up his offer to review the evidence for themselves.

With pending investigations from the U.S. Attorney's Office and Minneapolis Police Department, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said it's too early for a new probe into the officer-involved shooting.

"This is America, people can say whatever they want," Freeman said on the WCCO Morning News with Dave Lee, one day after the NAACP called for a new investigation into Clark's death. "I would encourage folks to review the entire record like I did."

People seem to be logging on to the county attorney's website to take a look at that information. A lot.

"We normally have, like, 400 or 500 hits a day. We've had 68,000 hits since last Wednesday. 68,000. Unprecedented."

Wednesday was the day Freeman revealed his decision not to charge the officers in Clark's shooting. That same day, his files on the investigation were posted on the website.

"There are 132 BCA reports, there are 1,300 pages of documents, there's an autopsy, there's forensic evidence from the labs, there's more video," said Freeman. "I have to say we have released an unprecedented amount of material, so people can decide on their own."

Freeman said no new witnesses have come forward, and that said RayAnn Hayes' further insistence that she was not romantically involved with Clark doesn't change his conclusion

"All sorts of extraneous things, whether RayAnn Hayes was his girlfriend or not really isn't relevant, it isn't critical," said Freeman. "There's always rumors of new witnesses, this or that. The forensic evidence, the lack of DNA on the handcuffs and the fact that DNA is all over the (officer's) gun, those are the definitive questions here. I think when they look at it all, everyone will agree that at this moment in time when the officers shot Jamar Clark, they were fearful for their lives and the lives of other people. And that's primarily because Clark had his hands all over the gun."