The two Sacramento police officers who shot and killed 22-year-old Stephon Clark in his grandmother's backyard last March will not face any charges.
The two Sacramento police officers who shot and killed 22-year-old Stephon Clark in his grandmother's backyard last March will not face any charges, according to CBS News.
On Saturday, Sacramento District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert announced the lethal force the officers used was legal.
Schubert says Clark took a shooting stance before the officers, identified as Terrence Mercadal and Jared Robinet, fired at him 20 times. Police reported seeing a flash of light they said they thought came from a gun.
It turned out to be a cellphone, CNN reported.
During a press conference, Clark’s fiance, Selena Manni, fought through tears to express her feelings on the decision.
"The officers who shot my unarmed fiance won't face any charges, continuing the shameful legacy of officers killing black men without consequences and breaking my family's hearts again," she said.
The 2017 incident touched off weeks of protests and gained attention around the world.
At the time, Sacramento District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert made a promise "to conduct a full, fair and independent review of this shooting," according to KOVR.
Schubert also said Clark allegedly researched ways to commit suicide — allegedly threatening his fiance in texts that he'd go through with it if they didn't mend their family.
A toxicology report indicated he had several drugs as well as alcohol in his system when he was killed.
Right after Schubert's announcement, protesters hit the streets in Clark's name, in opposition of what they felt was an injustice.
"I'm not surprised that she did not file charges and wasn't surprised hearing it, but I was irritated with the whole conference. And I was very surprised she stooped as low as she did. I didn't think it was possible for her to stoop lower. But she made us wait a year, and then she stopped really low and was very disrespectful, and I didn't expect that," said Tanya Faison, founder of Black Lives Matter Sacramento.
The Sacramento Police Department hasn't commented on the case specifically, but after the incident, the police chief stated that the department has required training on race-based discrimination and de-escalation tactics.
And on Saturday, Timothy Davis, the president of the Sacramento Police Officers Association, said in a statement that Mercadal and Robinet "in this case were clearly afraid for their life, and were legally justified in their use of force."
In January, Clark's family filed a $20 million wrongful death lawsuit against the city — alleging Clark was a victim of racial profiling and that the officers used excessive force.
Clark was the father of two toddlers, 4-year-old Aiden and 2-year-old Cairo.
"There cannot be a best case scenario because we lost Stephon. "Because he will not be able to come back," said the boys’ grandfather, Raj Manni.
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