As part of a plea deal, former Minneapolis police officer Justin Stetson agreed to write an apology letter to the St. Paul man he beat amid the civil unrest after George Floyd’s murder.
However, that man, Jaleel Stallings, said Monday that he does not accept it.
Jaleel Stallings speaks with reporters inside the Hennepin County Government Center in Minneapolis moments after Justin Stetson, a former Minneapolis police officer, was sentenced for assaulting Stallings during the unrest that followed the murder of George Floyd in 2020. (AP Photo/Trisha Ahmed)
“I feel if you are truly sorry for something, it would come at a much earlier time, not when your back is against the wall and you are forced to do so,” said Stallings, who spent five days in jail and was charged with attempted murder in connection with the May 2020 confrontation with police. A jury later acquitted Stallings, who then also won a $1.5 million settlement from the city.
Stetson was given a sentence of 15 days in the Hennepin County workhouse and two years of probation after he pleaded guilty to felony third-degree assault in the beating that left Stallings with a broken eye socket. The conviction can be reduced to a misdemeanor if he successfully completes probation.
A second count of gross misdemeanor misconduct of a public officer or employee was dismissed as part of a plea deal with the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office, which prosecuted the case. Stetson, 35, can never again be a law enforcement officer in Minnesota.
Renegotiated deal
Stetson had reached an agreement with the prosecution in May, admitting that he “crossed the line, went too far” when he assaulted Stallings and that his force was “unreasonable,” “unauthorized by the law” and “outside of the scope of [his] role as a police officer.” That deal called for a stay of adjudication for two years on the felony charge.
But Stallings said that was not enough and filed a formal objection to the deal in court. At the very least, Stallings wrote, Stetson should be “convicted for the felony conduct that is captured on video.”
On Monday, Hennepin County District Judge Shereen Askalani said she reviewed a presentence investigation and concluded “there are no special circumstances that would justify a stay of adjudication on the felony charge.” She said she notified the prosecution and Stetson and his attorney, Fred Bruno, and the parties then reached a renegotiated plea deal, which added the 15 days in the workhouse. Stetson is eligible for work release and may be allowed to serve the time on home electronic monitoring.
Stetson must complete an anger management class and letter of apology, which was filed in court in May.
Stetson said Monday he reaffirmed his guilty plea and the apology, adding, “I accept responsibility for my actions and the sentence of this court.”
Attorneys Chris Madel, left, and Fred Bruno, right, stand by the side of former Minneapolis police Officer Justin Stetson. (Richard Tsong-Taatarii/Star Tribune via AP, Pool)
Officers in unmarked van
Stetson and other officers were enforcing a curfew the night of May 30, 2020, when his group spotted four people in a Lake Street parking lot.
One was Stallings, an Army veteran with a permit to carry a gun. The officers opened fire with rubber bullets. One hit Stallings in the chest.
Stallings then fired three shots at the officers’ unmarked van but didn’t hurt anyone. He argued that he thought civilians had attacked him, and that he fired in self-defense.
When Stallings realized they were police, he dropped his gun and lay on the ground. Stetson kicked him in the face and in the head, then punched Stallings multiple times and slammed his head into the pavement, even after Stallings obeyed Stetson’s command to place his hands behind his back, according to the complaint. A sergeant finally told him to stop. The incident was caught on police body camera video.
“I offered no resistance,” Stallings, 31, said Monday in court. “I was terrified, and assumed I would not survive this attack, but I did.”
An expert use-of-force review concluded that Stetson’s use of force was “unreasonable, excessive, and contrary to generally accepted police practice.”
“My life was upended by Officer Stetson,” Stallings said. “Every aspect of my life was irrevocably altered by his choices. He took the oath to serve and protect our community.”
Starting a nonprofit
A graduate of Gordon Parks High School, Stallings was a truck driver living in St. Paul’s Frogtown neighborhood at the time of the assault. He said he moved to Houston, Texas, because of fear of retaliation.
He recently started a nonprofit called the Good Apple Initiative that aims to “shift the culture of policing and justice in Minnesota.”
“My experience left me with two choices: move forward with my life and feel angry and bitter and distrust, or take action,” he said. “I choose to take action.”
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