Sacramento cops who killed Stephon Clark won't be charged

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California's attorney general announced today he won't charge two Sacramento police officers who fatally shot an unarmed black man last year, joining a local prosecutor in finding that the officers reasonably believed Stephon Clark had a gun as he moved toward them.

Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced the results of a nearly yearlong investigation after telling Clark's mother privately. He acknowledged it was not what Clark's family wanted but said the evidence showed the officers had reason to believe their lives were in danger, though investigators found only a cellphone.

"There is a lot of hurt in this community today and certainly in the home of the Clark family," Becerra said. "Our investigation can't change what has happened, but we can make every effort to deliver a fair, thorough and impartial review, which we promised this community."

Clark, 22, was suspected of vandalism when he was shot seven times on March 18, 2018, and his killing prompted protests in California's capital city and across the U.S.

New demonstrations followed Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert's decision this weekend not to charge the officers, with more than 80 people arrested Monday. A reporter from The Sacramento Bee newspaper was briefly detained while live-streaming the protest.

With the conclusion of the state and local investigations, U.S. Attorney McGregor Scott and Sean Ragan, who heads the FBI's Sacramento office, said they and the U.S. Justice Department's Civil Rights Division will review the results to see whether the officers violated Clark's civil rights. Such reviews are standard practice, Scott spokeswoman Lauren Horwood said.

Sacramento police said they now will decide whether the officers violated any policies or procedures, which could result in their firings.

Officers Terrance Mercadal and Jared Robinet said they thought Clark was approaching them with a gun after he ran from them into his grandparents' backyard.