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An ex-Milwaukee police officer will not face charges for shooting an unarmed, mentally ill man 14 times in April, prosecutors announced Monday.

The decision has already sparked protests in Milwaukee, increasing tensions in the wake of the grand jury decisions in both Eric Garner and Michael Brown Jr.’s cases. Dontre Hamilton, 33, was black — Christopher Manney, the officer who opened fire, is white.

In an emailed press release, Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm said Manney would avoid charges because he shot Hamilton in self-defense. Hamilton, however, was unarmed at the time of the shooting. Manney approached Hamilton on April 30 after a 911 caller reported a man sleeping in a downtown park. The police officer said Hamilton resisted during an attempt to frisk him. The officer claims a scuffle ensued — the two exchanged punches and Hamilton allegedly took Manney’s baton and hit him with it. That’s when the officer opened fire.

Hamilton was shot 14 times. At least 9 witnesses said Manney shot Hamilton while he was on the ground. His family said the 33-year-old was suffering from schizophrenia.

“This was a tragic incident for the Hamilton family and for the community,” Chisholm said in a statement. “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.”

But back in October, Police Chief Edward Flynn said Manney instigated the fight by insisting he frisk Hamilton. The officer was fired shortly after.

“You don’t go hands-on and start frisking somebody only because they appear to be mentally ill,” Flynn said when he announced Manney had been dismissed.

Manney has since appealed his termination.

The Milwaukee Police Association condemned Manney’s firing as a political move, and members voted no confidence in Flynn soon after the firing.

Manney has appealed his firing and applied for disability, saying the shootings in Milwaukee and Ferguson have cost him sleep and made it difficult for him to think clearly. He also has said he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder.

On Monday, Hamilton’s family called the prosecutor’s decision “disappointing.” They released this statement through their lawyer:

The Dontre Hamilton shooting death case has now resulted in the Milwaukee County District Attorney adding yet another decision to the list of cases around the country with no criminal charges being filed against a police officer who shot and killed an African American male citizen. After waiting now for almost EIGHT MONTHS since Dontre Hamilton was shot and killed at Red Arrow Park by former City of Milwaukee Police Officer Christopher Manney, the Hamilton family and their attorneys are extremely disappointed in District Attorney John Chisholm’s decision in this case. This is a case which cries out for justice, criminal charges against Christopher Manney, and accountability to Dontre Hamilton’s family. Since being advised today of the State law criminal charging decision by District Attorney Chisholm, we have been in contact with the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, in Milwaukee, and we have formally requested that they communicate with the United States Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Criminal Section, to immediately commence a federal investigation into this matter, with the belief that Federal law criminal civil rights charges are warranted in this case.

The fight for justice in Milwaukee has already begun.

The Coalition for Justice and other supporters of the Hamilton family are expected to gather at Red Arrow Park in the wake of the decision.

“We hope the district attorney decides to charge Christopher Manney and finds those 14 shots in Red Arrow were excessive and reckless,” Curtis Sails III, a coalition member, said about a half hour before Chisholm’s decision was announced. “We hope that America, and Milwaukee, does the right thing this time, because it seems like in other cases they’ve gotten it wrong.”

A small group of protesters began gathering at Red Arrow Park within an hour of the announcement by Chisholm.

Among them was Marty Horning of Riverwest, who carried a small, handwritten sign that said, simply, “Shame.”

“I’m tired of coming down here and marching,” said Horning, who said he has been protesting police cases of excessive force in Milwaukee since the Ernest Lacy case in 1981.

We’ll keep you updated with the latest.

SOURCE: CBS, JSOnline | PHOTO CREDIT: Handout

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