Body camera footage has been released in the wake of Stephon Clark’s death earlier this week.
Clark, a man of colour, was shot dead by officers on Sunday night as they were looking for a suspect who had broken car windows.
After receiving a call regarding the broken windows, officers canvassed the neighbourhood and found Clark in his grandparents backyard.
Stephon Clark was shot dead in his backyard by two police officers in Sacramento. The officers said they were investigating a crime when Clark walked toward them with what looked like a gun. It was a cellphone. He leaves behind 2 children aged 1 and 3. pic.twitter.com/Csoqv0jP6T
— AJ+ (@ajplus) March 21, 2018
According to a release from the Sacramento Police Department (SPD), the two officers that located Clark saw him advance forward with his arms extended, holding an object in his hands.
That object was a cell phone, but Clark was shot 20 times by a pair of Sacramento Police Department (SPD) officers.
“At the time of the shooting, the officers believed the suspect was pointing a firearm at them,” the release says. “After an exhaustive search, scene investigators did not locate any firearms.”
“The only items found near the suspect was a cell phone.”
The incident adds to a long list of police shootings involving unarmed people of colour and has once again sparked widespread outrage.
As a result, SPD has released video and audio material related to the incident.
Release of Audio/Video Related to Officer-Involved Shooting on 29th Street, https://t.co/glmS2UGFQ8 #sacpd
— Sacramento Police (@SacPolice) March 21, 2018
The material consists of two body-worn cameras, a video from the Sacramento Sheriff’s Department’s helicopter, the 911 call audio and the dispatch audio.
The three videos tell most of the story and even further open the debate of whether the officers were in the right or wrong.
Before the body camera video ends, however, one officer says to another, “hey mute?”
The audio then goes silent and the footage ends shortly after.
WARNING: The footage below contains graphic material and may not be suitable for all viewers.
