White ex-Marine bar owner will NOT be charged with shooting and killing Black Lives Matter protester in Nebraska after prosecutor concluded gunman acted in self-defense
A white Nebraska bar owner will not be charged in the fatal shooting of a black protester in downtown Omaha during a weekend of unrest over the death of George Floyd, it was revealed today.
The shooting occurred at around 11pm on Saturday in the city’s Old Market area and within a couple of blocks of where protesters had gathered. Police said they arrested someone within the hour in connection with the shooting of 22-year-old James Scurlock.
Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine said Monday that Jake Gardner, 38, a retired US Marine with a history of weapons charges who owns two popular bars near where the shooting happened, fired the fatal shot during a scuffle with protesters outside one of his businesses, the Hive.
Kleine said the bar owner claimed self-defense, saying he feared for his life before the clash.
Omaha bar owner Jake Garnder (left) won't face any charges in connection to the shooting death of James Scurlock, 22 (right), a black protester
In a video, Gardner wearing a gray shirt appears to be speaking with the victim, who is in a dark shirt and jeans (left)
Footage circulating on social media shows Scurlock being gunned down by Garnder
Prosecutors showed video of the incident before Kleine announced that he wouldn’t file charges.
Shortly before the shooting the bar owner dressed in a gray shirt was backing up away from protesters and asking them to leave.
Then Gardner was shoved to the ground before he fired two shots. Then Scurlock jumped on top of the bar owner. Kleine said Gardner asked Scurlock to get off of him several times, telling him, 'Get off me, get off me, please get off me,' before he fired the fatal shot, striking the young man in the neck.
'We felt that this case was a self-defense case at this time,' he said.
Some witnesses said Gardner allegedly 'taunted' protesters and went out to the sidewalk yelling 'n****r lover'. From the video, it's unclear what happened before the shots were fired but witnesses claim Scurlock - who was with his brother - jumped on the shooter's back to stop him from using his weapon.
Kleine, however, said during Monday's press conference that video evidence and witness accounts appear to contradict the narrative that Gardner was taunting protesters or using racial slurs.
He quoted one protester who was interviewed by police as saying: 'I'm not a fan of the police department, but I was there and I didn’t hear anything like that [slurs] when I was standing there.'
Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine announced Monday his decision not to file charges against Gardner based on evidence that he acted in self-defnese
Gardner, 38, pictured with his dog Bron, owns two bars in Omaha, The Hive and The Gatsby
Just hours before the deadly incident, the retired Marine posted this update on Facebook, saying he planned to guard his business during protests
Kleine said on Monday he hoped the decision not to file charges won't lead to additional protests in Omaha.
'It is a senseless death, a loss of a young man's life, it shouldn't have happened,' he said. 'We know that emotions are running very high...this decision may not be popular and may cause more people to be upset. I would hope that they understand that we're doing our job to the best of our ability and looking at the evidence and the law.
Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts, a Republican, threw his support behind Kleine's decision not to prosecute.
'Don Kleine is a well-respected prosecutor in the law community both in Omaha and in the state. If Don Kleine doesn't believe he can bring charges at this time, I believe him,' he said. 'Keep an open mind. We have to heal, and move on together.'
A state senator acting as a lawyer for the Scurlock family appeared before reporters on Monday, calling Kleine's decision a 'rush to judgement,' and said that the case should have been brought before a grand jury to decide if there is enough evidence to charge Gardner.
Prior to Kleine's announcement, James Scurlock's father, also named James, spoke out and called on the prosecutor to bring charges against his son's shooter.
'Last night, I lost a son,' he said Sunday afternoon at the Malcolm X Memorial Foundation Visitors Center. 'My kids lost a brother. His daughter lost a father. ... We want them to go to court,' as Omaha World Herald reported.
Gardner is a retired Marine who served tours of duty in Iraq and Haiti between 2000-2004.
Video played by Kleine on Monday shows a confrontation between Gardner and Black Lives Matter protesters outside his bar The Hive
Gardner, left, is seen pointing a finger at one of the men gathered at the scene
According to his LinkedIn page, Gardner opened The Hive Bar in Omaha in 2011, followed by The Gatsby in 2017.
Documents obtained by The Daily Beast indicate that he has a past criminal record stretching back to the late 1990s, which includes multiple weapons-related charges, as well as arrests on counts of assault and battery.
In 2016, Gardner, who reportedly self-identifies as a Libertarian, sparked a controversy when he posted on Facebook that transgender women should not use the women's bathroom at his establishment, unless they have had their 'appendage' removed and their identification legally changed.
Just hours before the deadly clash, Gardner posted a status update on Facebook about protecting his business amid the unrest.
'Just when you think, "what else could 2020 throw at me?" Then you have to pull 48 hours of military style firewatch,' Gardner wrote.
Following the shooting, which took place amid a second night of violent protests in Omaha, officials imposed a curfew on Nebraska’s largest city, and national guard troops were mobilized to help police.
The incident took place outside The Hive Bar on Saturday before 11pm. The homicide occurred after protests ended according to the mayor
Police said they responded to the scene at approximately 11.01pm after officers reported hearing shots fired near 12th and Harney Street.
'Upon officers' arrival to the scene of 1207 Harney Street [the location of The Hive], they found a male suffering from a gunshot wound,' Omaha Police Department said in a statement. 'The male was transported to the Nebraska Medical Center where he succumbed to his injury.'
'The Omaha Police Department is not currently looking for any suspects,' OPD added. 'Investigators are in the process of reviewing all collected evidence, video, witness interviews and conferring with the Douglas County Attorney's office.'
Police initially said Saturday night that the suspect was at large but soon after they tweeted that the shooter was in custody.
On Sunday afternoon Police Chief Todd Schmaderer said the shooter was still detained but that any booking or 'charging decision on that front will come from the county attorney's office'.
Protesters rally in response to the killing of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis near 72nd and Dodge in Omaha on Friday
A man yells at Omaha police during a Black Lives Matter protest at 72nd and Dodge Streets on Friday
Loved ones of Scurlock's have created a GoFundMe page to help his family.
'James was passionate for Justice, but today his fight ended as he was shot and killed downtown Omaha while protesting for the same Justice he deserves,' the page creator writes.
'May you Rest In Peace James.'
On Sunday afternoon, Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert said that protest were peaceful but following the demonstrations groups started destroying businesses. Police said the majority of people arrested on Saturday were white.
According to witnesses, Scurlock was killed outside a business that had been damaged earlier in the night.
White ex-Marine bar owner will NOT be charged with shooting and killing Black Lives Matter protester in Nebraska after prosecutor concluded gunman acted in self-defense
![White ex-Marine bar owner will NOT be charged with shooting and killing Black Lives Matter protester in Nebraska after prosecutor concluded gunman acted in self-defense]()
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June 02, 2020
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