On Tuesday (March 5), the California Attorney General’s Office ruled no criminal charges will be filed against the officers who fatally shot Stephon Clark. According to KCRA, Sacramento’s County District Attorney’s Office also opted to not charge the officers in question.
Following the ruling, protesters made their voices heard during a city council assembly. KRON4 reports the demonstration was organized by Sacramento’s Black Lives Matter division.
Protesters storm Sacramento City Council in aftermath of Stephon Clark decision https://t.co/SMpHtmkXcN pic.twitter.com/EpiRdIcJxr
— KRON4 News (@kron4news) March 6, 2019
In response to the decision, the state’s Attorney General Xavier Becerra said it was a hard conclusion to arrive upon. “There’s a young man who’s no longer alive. Two sons who won’t have a father. Whose mother I just met is still grieving,” Becerra said. “Of course it was a tough call. These are all tough calls. It’s never easy.”
The ruling arrives 11 days before the one-year anniversary of Clark’s death. At 22, he was gunned down by police officers Terrence Mercadal and Jared Robinet outside of his grandmother’s house. A previous 911 call stated someone wearing a black hoodie was breaking car windows in the neighborhood and decided to evade being noticed by taking shelter in a backyard. The department’s helicopter identified Clark as the suspect and directed officers to his location.
When the officers arrived on the scene, they approached Clark calling for him to put his hands up. They claimed Clark “advanced forward with his arms extended and holding an object in his hands.” At first, the authorities believed Clark had a firearm pointed at the officers, but after they shot the father-of-two, they discovered that his only possession was a cell phone. Twenty rounds were fired in Clark’s direction.
Since then, activists have voiced their support in getting justice for Clark and his family despite higher officials’ decision to not proceed with any charges against the officers in question.