The Associated Press
CINCINNATI (AP) -- The FBI said Tuesday it is investigating whether any federal civil rights violations occurred when a black man died during a videotaped fight last year with police.
The Cincinnati chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People called months ago for a federal investigation, alleging that police used excessive force Nov. 30 on Nathaniel Jones, 41, of Cincinnati.
The FBI will report its findings to the Department of Justice’s civil rights division in Washington, which will decide whether a full investigation is justified, said Michael Brooks, a spokesman for the FBI’s Cincinnati office.
Calvert Smith, president of the NAACP’s Cincinnati chapter, said Tuesday he wished the government would have moved more quickly to investigate.
Hamilton County Prosecutor Michael Allen concluded no criminal violations occurred in Jones’ death and officers were within their rights to defend themselves. The Cincinnati police union also said officers followed police training and took appropriate steps to defend themselves.
Jones died minutes after he lunged at officers. He was repeatedly struck with metal batons by officers who were trying to subdue and handcuff him in the parking lot of a fast-food restaurant. Police had been called there on a report that Jones was behaving erratically.
The county coroner ruled Jones’ death a homicide but cautioned the ruling did not imply that police used excessive force. The coroner found the struggle caused the death but added that Jones’ enlarged heart, obesity and drugs in his system contributed.
Last week, a police watchdog agency concluded that officers used excessive force, saying they could have backed off and allowed Jones time to comply with their commands. The Citizen Complaint Authority sent its conclusions to the city manager, who will decide whether the officers should be disciplined.
Cincinnati endured three nights of rioting in April 2001 after a white police officer fatally shot an unarmed black man wanted on misdemeanor charges when he ran from police. In 2002, the city signed an agreement with the justice department to commit to reforms including tightened guidelines on the police use of force.