A grand jury has cleared Officer Lucas Jones in the shooting of a Cedar Rapids man during a traffic stop near the Coe College campus in Cedar Rapids on November 1.

The Linn County Attorney has also decided not to press charges against Jerime Mitchell, even though bags of marijuana were found in his truck.

The investigation showed the officer stopped Mitchell because his license plate lights were not working at the time. A squad car camera caught the traffic stop and the interaction between Mitchell and Jones. However, the officer's microphone was not working, so there is no audio of the encounter. County Attorney Jerry Vander Sanden says he will release the video tape of the encounter once Mitchell's family has a chance to view it.

Vander Sanden says he believes his officer's account of what Mitchell said to him. He says, "You can watch the video and judge for yourself. Why would you doubt the word of an officer who is describing some profanity? That's not uncommon during a traffic stop. I don't think it's shocking to anybody."

The officer told DCI agents there was a strong smell of marijuana coming from the truck when he approached the vehicle. Officer Jones told agents Mitchell's first comment to him was, "What the F*** do you want?"

Officer Jones said he told Mitchell he'd released his K-9 if Mitchell continued to be combative. During their interaction outside the truck, Mitchell swept his foot and tripped the officer. At that point, the video shows the officer released his dog to assist in the arrest. Police say that Mitchell kicked the dog in the head during the scuffle.

A physical struggle took place as Mitchell tried to get back in the truck. During the struggle Mitchell lifted the officer off of his feet. Eventually he was able to get back in his truck as the officer tried to hold him in place. Officer Jones told him several times to stop and not to accelerate. Jones says Mitchell put the truck into drive and began to accelerate with the officer caught in the open door of the truck. Fearing his life was in jeopardy, Jones fired three shots at Mitchell's head. One of three shots hit him in the neck and paralyzed him instantly.

Officers searched the vehicle during the investigation and say they found $1,500 dollars in the truck's front console and over a pound of marijuana in various packages and a set of scales. They also say a cell phone found on the floor included a series of text messages suggesting that Mitchell was in the process of delivering marijuana at the time. Blood tests revealed presence of THC in his blood system.

Family members say Mitchell was paralyzed from the shooting. Friends and family have wondered aloud whether Mitchell's race influenced the traffic stop or shooting.