Video released of fatal police shooting of Stephon Clark “All he loved was his children”
The Sacramento Police Department has released footage of the shooting by two officers of 22-year-old Stephon Clark last Sunday.
Stephon Clark, a father of two small children, was reportedly shot in the backyard of the home that he shared with his grandparents and siblings.
Initial reports indicated that officers were responding to a call of vandalism and when they encountered Stephon Clark in the backyard they thought he was holding “tool bar.” Clark was unarmed and holding only a cellphone.
The Sacramento Police Department released two audio and three video recordings from the shooting Wednesday night, according to Sacbee.
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The only command given by one officer in the video to Stephon Clark is, “Put your hands up, gun!” What follows is the sound of a barrage of 20 bullets. Each officer reportedly fired his weapon 10 times.
“As soon as they did the command, they started shooting,” said Stephon Clark’s aunt to the Sacramento Bee. “They said ‘put your hands up, gun’ and then they just let loose on my nephew.”
“They didn’t give him a chance to put his hands up or anything, and then when they shot him down, they knew they messed up,” she continued.
Six minutes after the shooting, one officer can be heard telling another, “hey, mute,” referring to his body camera. At that time, both officers apparently muted their microphones for the remainder of the video.
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Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg reviewed the videos and released a statement.
“Based on the videos alone, I cannot second guess the split-second decisions of our officers and I’m not going to do that. The investigation must be completed. We need more information in addition to the video before we can render any final conclusions. The questions raised by the community and council members are appropriate and must be answered during the investigation. For instance, what are the protocols regarding use of force and for rendering emergency aid during officer involved shootings?”
Stephon Clark’s brother, Pharrell, told NBC News that the family wanted justice for Clark’s children: “I want whoever responsible to be held accountable.”
“He was a great father, he was a perfect father … all he loved was his children,” Pharrell Clark said.
