Photo: Courtesy of KRCG
Jerime Mitchell of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, who was left paralyzed after an altercation with a police officer, has been awarded a settlement in the case of eight million dollars, KCRG 9 reported.
However, he said he would give all the money back to have his life the way it was before a racist cop’s bullet left him wheelchair-bound.
“It doesn’t matter how much money I get,” Mitchell said. “It will never replace. I would love to have my arms and legs again.”
Mitchell was paralyzed in 2016 after Cedar Rapids Police officer Lucas Jones shot him during a traffic stop. A civil trial was due to begin on April 20, but the city decided to settle the case instead. The settlement provided monetary restitution but didn’t force the city of Cedar Rapids or Jones to acknowledge fault or liability. The sorry a** cop did not face any criminal charges in Mitchell’s shooting.
Mitchell hopes to use the settlement money to help with costly treatment options that may help restore some of the function in his limbs.
“Now, I can look at stem cell programs that’s going on,” the man explained.
He is also paying close attention to the recent spate of police officer shootings of unarmed Black men like himself. Most recently, he studied Daunte Wright’s case where Brooklyn Center, Minnesota police officer Kim Potter screamed “taser” before fatally shooting Wright during a traffic stop. Mitchell said this case has motivated him to begin advocating for change.
“Go talk to the community, and let them know that the police training definitely needs to be redone,” Mitchell said. “And reforming to me is weeding out of all of the bad, because all cops aren’t bad.”
In his case, Mitchell said that Jones was fired and that he is happy with the outcome. He’s also satisfied that a settlement with Cedar Rapids was reached. However, the day Jones shot him will haunt him forever.
“I will give back that money or any amount of money to have my normal life,” he said.