Federal jury finds St. Paul officer violated Cordale Handy's constitutional rights in 2017 fatal shooting
ST. PAUL, Minn. – A federal jury in a civil lawsuit on Monday found a St. Paul police officer violated an Illinois man's constitutional rights when he shot and killed him in 2017.
The jury found officer Nathaniel Younce liable for violation of constitutional rights and wrongful death in the killing of Cordale Handy, the Handy family attorney confirmed to WCCO. A second officer, Mikko Norman, was not found liable.
Police were responding to a domestic disturbance call in March of 2017 when Norman and Younce fatally shot Handy. Police said Handy pointed a gun at officers before they opened fire.
The Ramsey County Attorney's Office, which previously declined to charge the officers, said that while it is "highly doubtful that this civil verdict applying a different standard of proof would change our decision, we are open to the BCA investigating the record developed in this federal civil rights lawsuit and re-submitting any newly discovered and significant evidence or testimony that is at odds with what was previously presented to us by the BCA for review in 2017."
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Handy's mother, Kim Diane Handy Jones, spoke at a press conference after the jury's decision.
"The fact of the matter is, how can you expect for community members to do right and act in a certain manner, and you don't carry yourself in a certain manner, or to a certain standard," she said. "It's OK for you to break the law. It's OK for you to say things, but it's not OK for community members to say things."
St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter said he was "surprised by both the finding of liability and the magnitude of damages awarded by the jury in this case."
"My heartfelt condolences go out to Mr. Handy's family and friends for their devastating loss," Carter said. "Our officers responded to a chaotic and dangerous scene centered around a person who, by all accounts, was acting erratically and had already fired 16 shots before police arrived … I simply cannot conclude that those involved had other reasonable options to immediately resolve this escalating crisis and prevent further loss of life without force."
In a statement, the St. Paul Police Department said it disagrees with the jury's decision, but respects the legal process, and that Younce is still with the department.