Group demands misdemeanor charges for Jake Gardner

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - Some community members say 30 days and no charges of any kind is unacceptable.

“We’re done playing the pretend game like it’s not racist!” Sherman Wells said

The night of May 30, surveillance video showed the shooting outside Jake Gardner’s bar, The Hive, that left James Scurlock dead. Some 150 people signed a letter demanding City Prosecutor Matt Kuhse acts. They believe if Gardner was a man of color this would be a different story.

“Because he’s Caucasian he’s not in jail, he doesn’t even have any misdemeanor charges and at best that’s what he should have,” Jobina Lloyd said.

“All we’re asking for is for the city prosecutor to do his job. We’re not asking for anything outlandish, anything unreal, unreasonable. Just do your job,” Robert Wagner said.

In a statement, Kuhse said the grand jury can issue indictments for felonies and misdemeanors, so it’s important to respect the process and he doesn’t want his actions to damage the integrity of the case.

“If you can’t do your job then we’re going to make a special request to the FBI,” Wagner said.

April Blam said dragging out the process only hurts the Scurlock family.

“There isn’t justice for James and the family and I can’t imagine being in that situation, I can’t imagine losing my kid or any of my kids, my students. and nothing’s happening,” Blam said.

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