Ex-officer not charged in fatal Milwaukee shooting

MILWAUKEE — A white Milwaukee police officer who was fired after he fatally shot a mentally ill black man in April won't face criminal charges, the county's top prosecutor said Monday.

Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm said Christopher Manney won't be charged because he shot Dontre Hamilton in self-defense. Manney is at least the third white police officer to not be charged in the past month after a confrontation that led to a black man's death.

"This was a tragic incident for the Hamilton family and for the community," Chisholm said in a statement. "But, based on all the evidence and analysis presented in this report, I come to the conclusion that Officer Manney's use of force in this incident was justified self-defense and that defense cannot be reasonably overcome to establish a basis to charge Officer Manney with a crime."

The Hamilton family released a statement through their attorney saying they were "extremely disappointed" with the decision and that the case "cries out for justice, criminal charges against Christopher Manney, and accountability to Dontre Hamilton's family."

The family said it has asked the U.S. attorney in Milwaukee to seek a federal investigation.

Read Tuesday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.

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