US Justice Department to review police conduct

Christopher Manney, a white police officer, will not face charges over the fatal shooting of African American Dontre Hamilton in a Milwaukee, Wisconsin park last April, after a district attorney concluded he acted in self defense. The decision led the United States Department of Justice to announce its own investigation into the case.

"(Manney's) use of force was privileged and justified," Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm told the press. "On a human level, of course, it's tragic ... (but) our job is not to tell people necessarily what they want to hear."

Chisholm said he consulted with a police use-of-force expert, who found that Manney's behavior was justified.

Shot 14 times in self-defense

Manney was responding to a call from a local coffee shop complaining about a homeless man sleeping in a local park. Dontre Hamilton was shot 14 times after allegedly taking Manney's baton while the officer attempted to frisk him. Manney was later fired over the incident, as he breached police protocol by frisking someone he correctly identified as mentally ill.

Hamilton's family was disappointed and angry by the announcement, but urged calm and peace in an emotional news conference. Dontre's brother Nate, however, was less restrained, saying the family had "cried too long," and that they did not "have to be the voice of reason."

"We need to stop the violence in our communities so we can get rid of these pigs that kill us," he said, his words greeted with shouts and applause. "Because that's what they are. They feed, they feed off of us."

A family attorney made it clear Nate Hamilton was not advocating violence against the police, especially considering the comments came just two days after two New York City police officers were ambushed and killed in their patrol car.

Hamilton led a peaceful protest on Monday afternoon, with demonstrators chanting "Arrest the police!"

Manney is the third US police officer not to face charges for killing an African American while on duty in recent weeks. Darren Wilson was not indicted over shooting dead unarmed teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri on August 9, and a grand jury similarly cleared an officer who allegedly strangled 43-year-old Eric Garner with a chokehold in New York City.

es/mg (AP,AFP)