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Sacramento Police Shoot, Kill Unarmed Black Man In His Backyard

Stephon Clark was shot while holding a cellphone. Authorities say they were responding to a call about a suspect breaking car windows nearby.
Posted at 10:08 AM, Mar 23, 2018
and last updated 2018-03-23 10:08:37-04

Sacramento, California, police fired 20 shots and killed an unarmed black man in his backyard Sunday. Stephon Clark was shot while holding a cellphone. Authorities say they were responding to a call about a suspect breaking car windows nearby.

"Fearing for their safety, the officers fired their duty weapons striking the subject," said Sacramento Police Chief Daniel Hahn.

The two officers who shot Clark have been placed on administrative leave, but no charges have been filed. A few Sacramento government agencies are investigating the incident, including the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office, the city Office of Public Safety Accountability and homicide detectives.

Clark leaves behind two boys, Cairo and Aiden Clark, and their mother, Salena Manni.

"I have to wake up every morning to my kids asking me: 'Where's daddy? Let's go get daddy,'" Manni told KXTV.

According to various reports, both officers were wearing body cameras during the shooting, and the city, per a 2016 policy, will release that video within 30 days of the incident.