NPR

Video Shows Sacramento Police Shooting Unarmed Black Man In Grandparents' Backyard

Body camera footage shows two officers firing about 20 shots at Stephon Clark, then waiting five minutes without giving aid. The officers had responded to a 911 call of a man breaking car windows.
A still from police body camera footage of the officer-involved shooting of 22-year-old Stephon Clark on Sunday in Sacramento.

Sacramento police officers shot and killed 22-year-old Stephon Clark, a father of two who was unarmed, in the backyard of his grandparents' home on Sunday night.

"The only thing that I heard was pow, pow, pow, pow, and I got to the ground," Sequita Thompson, Clark's grandmother, told The Sacramento Bee. "I opened that curtain and he was dead."

says: "Prior to the shooting, the involved officers saw the suspect facing them, advance forward with his arms extended, and holding an object in his hands. At the time of the shooting, the officers believed the suspect was

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from NPR

NPR4 min read
In 'The Unexpected,' Emily Oster Tackles The Emotional Toll Of Difficult Pregnancies
The economist made a name for herself using data to challenge the accepted rules of pregnancy. Now, she's returning to the topic with a book on how to navigate its complications.
NPR9 min read
Rappers Took The White House. Now What?
A new documentary, Hip-Hop and the White House, considers rap's association with presidential politics — and in so doing, reveals a persistent misunderstanding of how both operate.
NPR7 min readAmerican Government
Trump Trial Coverage
The news media face a number of temptations while covering the criminal trial of former President Donald Trump, including dwelling on salacious details, overdramatizing insignificant moments, and getting distracted by out-of-court behaviors that have

Related Books & Audiobooks