116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
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
Evidence markers and a Cedar Rapids police cruiser are seen at the scene of an officer-involved shooting on Coe Road NE in Cedar Rapids on Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2016. According to Cedar Rapids police, an officer pulled over a man on the lower part of Coe Road NE and the suspect then began an altercation with the officer. During the fight, the officer discharged his firearm at the suspect. The suspect fled the scene in his vehicle and hit a Cedar Rapids police SUV that was responding to the incident before hitting an unoccupied vehicle in a Coe College parking lot and being taken into custody. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)
Jerime Mitchell
Cedar Rapids Police Chief Wayne Jerman listens as Linn County Attorney Jerry Vander Sanden announces that a grand jury returned a decision not to indict Cedar Rapids Police Officer Lucas Jones in the November traffic stop shooting of Jerime Mitchell, during a press conference at the Linn County Courthouse in Cedar Rapids on Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2016. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)
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