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U.S. NEWS Wednesday 6 March 2019

Sacramento police who killed Stephon Clark won’t be charged

By DON THOMPSON But while the local dis-
Associated Press trict attorney highlighted
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) those factors during her
— California’s attorney announcement Saturday,
general announced Tues- drawing protests that she
day that he won’t charge was impugning Clark’s
two Sacramento police of- character, Becerra said
ficers who fatally shot an they were not key to his de-
unarmed black man last cision.
year, joining a local prose- Becerra, who called for
cutor in finding that the of- changes in law enforce-
ficers reasonably believed ment practices to prevent
Stephon Clark had a gun other shootings, said there
as he moved toward them. was plenty of evidence to
Attorney General Xavier support his conclusion. Still,
Becerra announced the he said it was not an easy
results of a nearly yearlong decision.
investigation after telling “There’s a young man
Clark’s mother privately. who’s no longer alive,”
He acknowledged that it Becerra said. “Two sons
was not what Clark’s fam- who won’t have a father.
ily wanted but said the Whose mother I just met
evidence showed the offi- is still grieving. Of course it
cers had reason to believe was a tough call. These are
their lives were in danger, all tough calls. It’s never
though investigators found easy.”
only a cellphone. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra gestures towards the three binders containing his Before announcing the de-
“There is a lot of hurt in this office’s investigation into last year’s fatal shooting of Stephon Clark by two Sacramento Police cision, he met with Clark’s
community today and cer- Officer, during a news conference,Tuesday, March 5, 2019, in Sacramento, Calif. mother, SeQuette Clark, at
tainly in the home of the Associated Press a church. She planned to
Clark family,” Becerra said. they now will decide Medical Examiner’s Office The attorney general said speak to reporters later in
“Our investigation can’t whether the officers violat- to conduct an indepen- he considered evidence the day.
change what has hap- ed any policies or proce- dent review, which backed that Clark had drugs and The case has led top state
pened, but we can make dures, which could result in the official autopsy show- alcohol in his system and officials to support changes
every effort to deliver a fair, their firings. ing that Clark was most like- had been fighting with his to California’s legal stan-
thorough and impartial re- Officers Terrance Mercadal ly shot as he approached fiancee in the days prior to dard for when police can
view, which we promised and Jared Robinet said police. the shooting. use deadly force.q
this community.” they thought Clark was ap-
Clark, 22, was suspected proaching them with a gun
of vandalism when he was after he ran from them into
shot seven times on March his grandparents’ back-
18, 2018, and his killing yard.
prompted protests in Cali- The officers had been pur-
fornia’s capital city and suing Clark after receiv-
across the U.S. ing calls about someone
New demonstrations fol- breaking car windows and
lowed Sacramento County an elderly neighbor’s slid-
District Attorney Anne Ma- ing glass door. The attor-
rie Schubert’s decision this ney general and district
weekend not to charge the attorney said the evidence
officers, with more than 80 showed Clark was advanc-
people arrested Monday. ing toward the officers
A reporter from The Sacra- holding what they thought
mento Bee newspaper was was a gun when they shot
briefly detained while live- him.
streaming the protest. Clark could have kept flee-
With the conclusion of the ing through an opening at
state and local investiga- the other side of the back-
tions, U.S. Attorney Mc- yard, Becerra said, but
Gregor Scott and Sean Ra- instead advanced from
gan, who heads the FBI’s about 30 feet (9 meters)
Sacramento office, said away from the officers to
they and the U.S. Justice about 16 feet (5 meters)
Department’s Civil Rights away before they opened
Division will review the re- fire.
sults to see whether the Attorneys for Clark’s family
officers violated Clark’s say an autopsy they com-
civil rights. Such reviews are missioned found that po-
standard practice, Scott lice shot Clark seven times
spokeswoman Lauren Hor- from behind.
wood said. Becerra said his office hired
Sacramento police said the San Diego County