Stephon Clark Shooting: Police Bodycam Footage Shows Hail of Bullets as Cops Mistook iPhone for Gun
Outrage is growing over the shooting of an unarmed black man holding only a cellphone in his grandmother's backyard.
Video from a police helicopter and bodycam footage captures a chaotic scene as Sacramento police responded to a 911 call reporting a suspect "going down the street, breaking windows in cars." The video shows a suspect scaling a fence. As the chopper tracked the suspect from above, two cops on the ground gave chase. One claimed he saw a gun.
An officer can be heard shouting "Show me your hands! Gun! Gun! Gun!" Twenty rounds were fired at 22-year-old Stephon Clark, who was holding an iPhone as he stood in the backyard of his grandmother's house.
He falls to the ground as two officers fire at him. He died where he fell.
As more officers arrive at the scene, one asks, "What did he have on him?" Another cop answers, "Like this, something in his hands. It looked like a gun from our perspective."
Later, a voice is heard saying, "Hey, mute," and the audio on the camera cuts off.
Sequita Thompson saw her grandson dead in the backyard and called the officers "murderers," CNN reported.
Clark had two young children and was staying at his grandparents' home, family members said.
The Rev. Al Sharpton pledged his support to Clark's family and said he would travel to California to help them fight for justice. Residents upset about the shooting have demanded answers from city officials.
The incident began after 9 p.m. Sunday. The Sacramento Police Department is investigating the shooting.
"Fearing for their safety, the officers fired their duty weapons striking the suspect multiple times," the department said in a statement. Both officers are on paid leave pending the investigation.
RELATED STORIES
Bodycam Video of Police Shooting Sparks Outrage: 'They Just Murdered Him Flat Out'
De-Escalation Training: Could These Tactics Diminish Racially Charged Police Shootings?
Upscale Florida Resort Community Shaken by Its First-Ever Police Shooting
