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Protesters Want Video of Cedar Rapids Police Shooting, and Cultural Changes for Force

Sarah Boden/IPR
Protesters want answers in police-shooting of unarmed black man.

Supporters of a Cedar Rapids man who was shot by a police officer and is now paralyzed, spoke at Tuesday night’s city council meeting. The group then peacefully protested outside of Coe College, not far from where 37-year-old Jerime “Danky” Mitchell was shot on November 1.

Activists want institutional changes implemented to improve how Cedar Rapids police officers interact with the community, especially black residents. They’re also demanding the release of the dash camera video of the shooting of Danky Mitchell. 

Mitchell’s niece, Shalyse Johnson, says the footage will reveal how and why Officer Lucas Jones fired his gun at her uncle. 

"It really hurts to have your family go through this and have no answers," says Johnson. "Hopefully it will come out soon."

The city says it can’t release the video now, as this could jeopardize the integrity of the shooting investigation. Cedar Rapids says it will release the footage when it gets the OK from the Linn County Attorney.  

The city adds it's committed to fully cooperating with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, which is handling the shooting investigation.