California AG Becerra: No Charges Against Officers In Stephon Clark Shooting Death
SACRAMENTO (AP) -- California's attorney general won't charge two Sacramento police officers who shot and killed an unarmed black man last year.
Attorney General Xavier Becerra's announcement Tuesday follows a prosecutor's finding that the two officers broke no laws when they shot 22-year-old Stephon Clark.
Officers Terrance Mercadal and Jared Robinet say they mistakenly thought Clark was approaching them with a gun after he ran into his grandparents' backyard as police investigated vandalism.
Investigators found only a cellphone.
Clark's killing prompted intense protests last year in California's capital city and demonstrations nationwide.
Clark's family and black leaders urged Becerra to reach a different conclusion than the local prosecutor.
Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert's announced Saturday that the officers broke no laws when they shot Clark.
That decision this weekend renewed protests and has increased support for changing the state's legal standard for when police can kill.