The Latest: No charges for officers who shot Stephon Clark
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The Latest on the decision by a prosecutor not to charge the police officers who shot an unarmed black man last year (all times local):
7:30 p.m.
The fiancee of a man killed by police says prosecutor’s decision not to file charges continues a “shameful legacy” of officers killing black men without consequences.
Salena Manni tearfully criticized a California prosecutor Saturday for bringing up the domestic violence complaint she filed against Stephon Clark two days before he was killed nearly a year ago.
District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert says that may have contributed to his actions the night the 22-year-old unarmed black vandalism suspect was fatally shot in his grandparents’ backyard.
Manni and the Rev. Shane Harris, president of the People’s Alliance for Justice, say they will push for tougher laws.
Harris says he’ll promote having the state attorney general investigate officer-involved shootings.
Harris says Schubert’s decision shows county prosecutors are too close to police.
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4:45 p.m.
Several dozen people demonstrated outside a Sacramento Police Department station after prosecutors declined to file charges against two officers who shot and killed an unarmed black man.
The peaceful protest Saturday afternoon was organized by Black Live Matter’s Sacramento chapter. The group’s leader, Tanya Faison, says she was disappointed and disgusted by the Sacramento County district attorney’s press conference announcing the decision.
Faison criticized Anne Marie Schubert for sharing cellphone evidence of a domestic dispute between Stephon Clark and the mother of his children and for telling reporters that Clark had contemplated suicide.
Faison says the information isn’t relevant to the investigation into whether the officers’ actions were justified.
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3:20 p.m.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom and civil rights advocates are calling for reforms in the criminal justice system after prosecutors declined to file charges against two Sacramento officers who fatally shot an unarmed black man.
The American Civil Liberties Union urged for a change in state law that currently lets officers use deadly force when they have a reasonable fear of being harmed — a standard that makes it rare for officers to be charged after a shooting and rarer still for them to be convicted.
The ACLU supports a bill that would allow police to kill only when it is necessary to prevent imminent and serious injury or death and require officers to use de-escalation tactics whenever possible.
Newsom said society must acknowledge what he called the hard truth. He said “our criminal justice system treats young black and Latino men and women differently than their white counterparts. That must change.”
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2:10 p.m.
The mother of Stephon Clark said she refuses to accept prosecutors’ decision not to file criminal charges against the two Sacramento police officers who fatally shot an unarmed black man last year.
Sequette (suh-KWET) Clark said Saturday that the officers should have been charged with homicide.
They shot her 22-year-old son on March 18, 2018 after he ran from them into his grandparents’ backyard.
She says: “They executed my son. It’s not right.”
Her comments came shortly after Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert announced the officers did lawfully used lethal force. The officers said they thought Clark, a vandalism suspect, had a gun and was advancing at them.
Investigators found only a cellphone.
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1:10 p.m.
Two Sacramento police officers will not face criminal charges in last year’s fatal shooting of an unarmed black man that brought nationwide protests.
Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert announced Saturday that officers Terrance Mercadal and Jared Robinet did not break any laws when they shot Stephon Clark after the 22-year-old ran from them into his grandparents’ backyard.
The officers say they thought Clark, a vandalism suspect, had a gun but investigators found only a cellphone.
Sacramento has been bracing for protests ahead of the decision, with business owners warned by a business association and state government workers told by legislative officials in recent days to stay away from downtown at least through the weekend.
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11 a.m.
Prosecutors are expected to announce Saturday whether two police officers will face charges in last year’s fatal shooting in Sacramento of an unarmed black man that generated nationwide protests.
Sacramento District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert will hold a news conference to announce whether the officers broke any laws when they shot Stephon Clark after the 22-year-old ran from them into his grandparents’ backyard.
Officers Terrance Mercadal and Jared Robinet have said they thought Clark, a vandalism suspect, had a gun but investigators found only a cellphone.
The city has been bracing for protests ahead of the decision, with business owners warned by a business association and state government workers told by legislative officials in recent days to stay away from downtown at least through the weekend.
Protests after the shooting were largely peaceful but disrupted downtown professional basketball games and freeway traffic.
The Western Journal has not reviewed this Associated Press story prior to publication. Therefore, it may contain editorial bias or may in some other way not meet our normal editorial standards. It is provided to our readers as a service from The Western Journal.
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