Family asks Ramsey County to revisit criminal case in 2017 police killing of Cordale Handy

Kimberly Handy-Jones sits at a memorial bench dedicated to her son, Cordale Handy. She is urging the Ramsey County Attorney's Office to review evidence presented during the family's federal civil trial and reconsider whether criminal charges should be filed. Photo: BLCK Press

Nearly a decade after St. Paul police fatally shot 29-year-old Cordale Handy, his mother says her fight for accountability is not over.

Kimberly Handy-Jones is urging the Ramsey County Attorney's Office to review evidence that emerged during the family's successful federal civil rights lawsuit, arguing it warrants a fresh look at whether criminal charges should be filed against former St. Paul police Officer Nathaniel Younce.

"I can't stop and I won't stop. It ain't over 'til God says it's over," Handy-Jones said. "I know doing what I'm doing can't bring Cordale back. But I know that it is an opportunity yet again for another family's child to get home."

The renewed push comes months after the conclusion of a second federal civil trial, which resulted in a $3.25 million award to Handy's family. The family, joined by the Reinvestigation Workgroup, has launched a public petition asking the Ramsey County Attorney's Office to examine testimony and forensic evidence presented during the civil proceedings that they say was unavailable or not considered when prosecutors declined criminal charges in 2017.

Ongoing pursuit of justice

In December 2017, Ramsey County Attorney John Choi announced his office would not charge Officers Younce and Mikko Norman, concluding they were legally justified in using deadly force during the March 15, 2017, encounter. Choi's office said at the time that Handy pointed a stolen handgun at officers twice, making deadly force reasonable under Minnesota law.

The shooting occurred just months before the St. Paul Police Department began equipping officers with body-worn cameras.

The family's civil lawsuit produced a different legal outcome. In 2023, a federal jury found Younce liable for using excessive force and awarded the family $11.5 million. U.S. District Judge David Doty later reduced the award and there was a retrial on damages.

Following the 2025 retrial, the family ultimately received $3.25 million.

A memorial mural, bench and plaque for Cordale Handy sits on the side of Mañana at 798 7th St E in St. Paul. Photo: Becca Gilbuena

For Handy-Jones, however, the verdict never represented justice.

"To award someone money to say, 'Here, I paid you for the damage' — that ain't damage. That was a death," she said. "Money could never replace it."

Instead, she wants criminal consequences.

"I want that officer charged and sentenced," Handy-Jones said. "If death was my child's final outcome, then him doing time in jail should be his final outcome."

A closer look at the evidence

The family's attorneys argue testimony presented during the civil trial raises questions that deserve renewed criminal scrutiny. Attorney Kevin O'Connor pointed to Younce's own testimony after hearing forensic evidence presented during trial.

"He got on the stand and said, 'Obviously, the way I remember it isn't correct,'" O'Connor said. "His version of the facts that went to the BCA and went into the police reports were wrong, and that is significant evidence that should be relooked at."

O'Connor also cited testimony from the family's forensic pathologist and ballistics expert, who concluded the physical evidence was inconsistent with Handy pointing a gun at officers when he was shot.

"He said it would have been impossible for our client to have pointed a gun at these officers at the time he was shot because the bullet went through the underside of his hand," O'Connor said. "His hands were in a position as if he was raising his hands to surrender."

The experts' testimony went unrebutted during the civil trial, O'Connor said. He believes prosecutors could reopen the case or present the evidence to a grand jury.

Attorney Paul Bosman said the conclusion of the civil case should not mark the end of the search for accountability.

"Nearly nine years after the death of Cordale Quinn Handy, the City of St. Paul finally paid a judgment on behalf of the officers who killed Cordale," Bosman said. "After nine years and two trials, that police officer has effectively escaped justice. That's the way it has always been. No more."

Bosman said the family is asking the Ramsey County Attorney's Office to evaluate the evidence presented during the civil trial and determine whether criminal charges are now warranted.

The Reinvestigation Workgroup began independently examining Handy's killing in 2019. Its investigation helped uncover evidence that ultimately supported the family's civil rights lawsuit.

"The civil suit in this case is over and won," the group said in a statement. "But the evidence from the trial shows that more is required. The Ramsey County Attorney's Office needs to expeditiously re-evaluate whether criminal charges should be brought against Officers Younce and Norman."

The Ramsey County Attorney's Office confirmed it has been contacted by the family's attorneys.

"We have also notified the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, who conducted the initial investigation," the office said in a statement. "We will update the family's attorney once we receive further information from the BCA."

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension did not respond to a request for comment.

For Handy-Jones, the latest petition represents another step in a journey she says has always been fueled by faith.

"I never went into that trial thinking there was a chance we would win," she said. "I went into that trial knowing we would win, because I knew my child."

"I ain't got but one more step to do," she said. "That's to get that cop charged and sentenced. I'm not feeling defeated. I know that I can win."