Protesters gather in Sacramento after D.A. announces officers who shot and killed Stephon Clark will not be charged

A sign at a protest over the shooting of Stephon Clark.

(Image credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images))

published 3 March 2019

The decision to not charge the Sacramento police officers who shot and killed Stephon Clark last year sparked public outcry in Sacramento on Saturday.

Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert announced on Saturday that no criminal charges will be filed against the officers, who fired their weapons 20 times at Clark, an unarmed black man, who was in his grandmother's backyard.

"Was a crime committed? There's no question that a human being died," Schubert said. "But when we look at the facts and the law, and we follow our ethical responsibilities, the answer to that question is no." Schubert said that the prosecution determined that the officers had probable cause to stop and detain Clark. Timothy Davis, the president of the Sacramento Police Officers Association, said that the case had seen "unprecedented levels of transparency and oversight."

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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.

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