Top 10 Gazette stories of the year: #4 Jerime Mitchell shot, paralyzed

Community sentiment was split dramatically in the wake of an officer-involved shooting in early November that left a Cedar Rapids man paralyzed from the neck down.

Jerime Mitchell, 38, was shot by officer Lucas Jones after a traffic stop near Coe College on the evening of Nov. 1. Mitchell was pulled over by Jones around 1:15 a.m. on the Lower part of Coe Road NE. Cedar Rapids police and the DCI have said an altercation ensued and Jones fired his service weapon at Mitchell.

Mitchell was shot in the neck and is now paralyzed, his family has said.

Authorities said Mitchell drove on from the scene of the shooting and crashed into an unmarked Cedar Rapids police SUV before hitting a parked car in a Coe College parking lot. Neither Jones nor the officer in the SUV were seriously injured, police said.

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation conducted an investigation and ruled that Jones was justified in his actions, but following a call from some community residents for an independent investigation, Linn County Attorney Jerry Vander Sanden impaneled a grand jury to look into the case. The grand jury declined to indict Jones for his actions.

Dash cam footage of the shooting was released publicly in early December. Mitchell's friends and family members maintain the shooting was unnecessary and comprised police brutality.

Nov. 1, 2016 -- Cedar Rapids traffic stop escalates to shooting, crashes

Nov. 4, 2016 -- Cedar Rapids police officer involved in shooting identified

Nov. 7, 2016 -- Man shot by Cedar Rapids police officer paralyzed from neck down, family says

Nov. 14, 2016 -- Jerime Mitchell's allies take case to Cedar Rapids City Council

Dec. 4, 2016 -- Grand jury gets traffic-stop shooting case this month

Dec. 6, 2016 -- Grand jurors clear Cedar Rapids officer in traffic-stop shooting

Dec. 8, 2016 -- Dash cam video of Jerime Mitchell shooting released

Dec. 8, 2016 -- Timeline: The Jerime Mitchell shooting