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Stephon Clark protesters will not face charges, district attorney says

Posted at 9:30 PM, Mar 08, 2019
and last updated 2019-03-08 21:30:53-05

No charges will be filed against protesters in Sacramento, California, who were arrested during a Stephon Clark-related demonstration Monday, the district attorney's office said Friday.

More than 80 people were taken into custody as they protested District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert's decision not to file charges against the police officers involved in the March 2018 fatal shooting of Clark.

A statement from her office said Schubert had reviewed police reports from the protest in East Sacramento where 84 people were arrested.

"In the interest of justice, no charges will be filed in any of the cases submitted," the statement said.

At a news conference March 2, Schubert announced the officers would not be charged because an investigation found they had not broken any laws.

On Monday, dozens of demonstrators bearing photos of Clark and holding Black Lives Matter signs were arrested.

The next night, Tuesday, Sacramento residents packed city hall to complain. The crowd launched into chants of Clark's name and, occasionally, shouted down council members as they vented their anger. Several speakers at the meeting complained police officers were overzealous in arresting people on Monday night.

California's attorney general announced recently that he would not file charges against the officers.

The US Attorney's Office and FBI said it will examine whether the shooting violated Clark's federal civil rights.

Clark was shot by two Sacramento officers who were responding to a report that a man had broken car windows and was hiding in a backyard.

Police said they fired at Clark because they believed he was pointing a gun at them, but only a cellphone was found at the scene.

His death triggered days of protest last year with demonstrators sprawling out into the streets, city council and outside the basketball arena.