A year later, questions remain in Cedar Rapids officer-involved shooting

CEDAR RAPIDS - One year after an officer-involved shooting in Cedar Rapids, two principal figures involved have yet to speak publicly about the incident.

Questions remain among some community members after the traffic stop shooting of black motorist Jerime Mitchell by white Cedar Rapids Police Officer Lucas Jones on Nov. 1, 2016 - an event that has become synonymous with the concerns surrounding other officer-involved shootings around the country.

Questions such as:

' Was the shooting justified?

' Do there need to be changes in local law enforcement policy? And if so, how extensive should they be?

' Do there need to be changes in deciding when to call a special prosecutor?

The shooting left Mitchell paralyzed. Larry Rogers Jr., the attorney for Mitchell and his wife, Bracken Mitchell, did not respond to requests for an interview.

Cedar Rapids Police Department spokesman Greg Buelow confirmed Jones, who was placed on administrative leave following the shooting, returned to full-time duty June 29.

Jones still has a K-9 police dog assigned to him, and was able to maintain that certification during administrative leave, Buelow said.

However, due to personnel records, Buelow could not comment on anything else, including the outcome of the department's internal investigation on Jones or about any conditions placed on his return.

Details of the officer-involved incident were released in a Dec. 6 news conference by Linn County Attorney Jerry Vander Sanden. Squad car dashboard camera video from the scene also was made public, but the officer's body microphone was 'not operational” during the incident, officials said.

According to officials, Jones pulled Mitchell's pickup truck over at about 1:15 a.m. on the lower part of Coe Road NE Nov. 1 for not having working license plate lights.

Jones later reported he smelled marijuana as he approached the vehicle, and asked Mitchell to step out. The squad car video shows Mitchell and Jones began to tussle after Jones attempted to handcuff him. As Mitchell struggled to get back into his truck, Jones released his police dog.

Mitchell managed to get back into his truck, and Jones's left arm was caught between the open door and the truck. When Mitchell put the truck into gear and accelerated, Jones said he 'feared for his life” and fired three shots at Mitchell's head with the intent to kill.

The subsequent grand jury investigation cleared Jones of all charges.

Vander Sanden announced the findings from the grand jury ruling - the first grand jury called in Linn County for an officer-involved shooting in at least a decade - in the December new conference.

Mitchell and his wife filed a lawsuit against Jones and the city of Cedar Rapids shortly after the ruling for negligence, assault and battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress and loss of consortium - damages sought by a family member. According to the suit filed in Linn County, it states Jones and the city were 'reckless, willful and wanton” in their actions.

A trial date has been set for Sept. 10, 2018.

The incident also became a catalyst for conversations on racial justice among officials and community members. The Iowa-Nebraska NAACP and the Iowa Justice Alliance - the latter was formed in response to the Mitchell shooting - have held meetings with law enforcement and judicial officials, including Vander Sanden and Cedar Rapids Police Chief Wayne Jerman.

The focus of these meetings has been to discuss the '12 Steps for Addressing Justice in Cedar Rapids,” a document put together early this year that calls for policy changes within local police departments and the County Attorney's Office.

Items in the document include requiring special prosecutors for officer-involved shooting cases referred to a grand jury and yearly training for police officers in diversity, implicit bias and de-escalation tactics.

Last week, the group's effort to sign an agreement to begin the process of working toward a memorandum of understanding among all parties hit a snag when the discussion was tabled until the group's Nov. 17 meeting.

Lee Hermiston contributed to this story.

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