Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm has announced that former officer Christopher Manney will face no charges in the death of a mentally ill Black man, after a consultation with police experts advised that the officer had allegedly acted in self-defense.
Addressing the press Chisholm stated, “Manney’s use of force was privileged and justified. On a human level, of course, it’s tragic … but our job is not to tell people necessarily what they want to hear.”
Dontre Hamilton, who family members say had not been taking his medication for schizophrenia, was first found by two officers after it was reported that a homeless man had been sleeping inside of Red Arrow Park. After assessing that no laws had been broken the pair left the man alone, with Officer Manney arriving shortly after. After attempting to pat him down an altercation broke out between the two, resulting in Hamilton being shot over 14 times.
Although Manney has been cleared of any wrongdoing in the incident, it was determined that he didn’t follow department guidelines by treating a mentally ill individual like a criminal; he was fired six months after the fatal shooting.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, a federal review of the case will be conducted.