It's too bad that the only question city officials and police management
will ask about Barbara Schneider's death is whether it meets the criteria
for a criminal indictment. We should not have to live with the possibility
of such a thing happening again. People who need help in dealing with a
mentally ill friend or relation should be able to call 911 without fearing
for the person's life.
>From the Strib article: "Her brother Jim Schneider has said that she
clearly needed help, and that to shoot her was not only unjustified, it was
'outrageous.'"
Rosalind Nelson
Bancroft
At 05:24 PM 2/21/01 -0600, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
>
>Thank you for your e-mail.
>
>On Tuesday afternoon, a Hennepin County grand jury returned a "no bill" (no
>indictment) in the case of the shooting death of Barbara Schneider.
>
>On its Web site, Hennepin County District Court has a handbook for grand
>jurors. (A grand jury is "summoned and convened" by the court.) This
>handbook is a helpful primer on the grand jury process. You can read it at
>
>http://www.co.hennepin.mn.us/courts/Jury/jogjbook.htm
>
>To quote from this handbook:
>
> The grand jury's function is to determine whether a crime has been
> committed in Hennepin County and whether a person shall be tried for that
> crime. ...
>
> After it has received evidence against a person, the grand jury must
> decide whether the evidence presented justifies an indictment, which is
> the formal criminal charge returned by the grand jury. ...
>
> If the evidence does not persuade the grand jury that there is probable
> cause to believe the suspect is guilty of a crime, it must vote a 'no
> bill.' ...
>
>
>When a grand jury returns an indictment to the court, it does not report
>specific reasons why it found probable cause. Similarly, when a grand jury
>returns a no bill to the court, it does not report specific reasons why it
>did not find probable cause.
>
>I hope this information is helpful to you.
>
>Ross Corson
>Hennepin County Attorney's Office
>
>
>
>
>timothy connolly <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> on 02/21/2001 02:42:16 PM
>
>To: Ross Corson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
>Subject: grand jury
>
>
>Hello Ross:
>
>Can you confirm for me that the grand jury has decided
>to return no indictment of the officers involved in
>the shooting death of Barbara Schneider?
>
>Is there a statement the grand jury makes pursuant to
>that decision that addresses any institutional failure
>on the part of the Minneapolis Police force in dealing
>with the mentally ill or is that not within the range
>of the grand jury's deliberations? If it is not within
>the purview of the grand jury to issue such a ruling,
>why not?
>
>I have sent a copy of my query to the members of Mpls.
>Issues e-democracy forum as matters of police conduct
>have been the subject of ongoing consideration.
>
>Thank you in advance for your timely response.
>
>Respectfully,
>
>Tim Connolly
>Ward 7
>
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