Family speaks out in Sacramento police shooting

Sequita Thompson, the grandmother of a man killed last week by Sacramento, Calif., police, lamented her loss and called for police reforms Monday. Stephon Clark, 22, was unarmed in Thompson’s backyard on March 18 when police in pursuit of a fleeing vandalism suspect came upon him. Thinking he had a gun, they shot at him 20 times. He had only a cellphone in his possession. Members of the Sacramento Kings and Boston Celtics on Sunday wore black warmup shirts with Clark’s name on them before their NBA game in Sacramento. Three days earlier, protesters formed a human chain blocking entrances to the Kings’ arena and prevented all but about 1,500 fans from entering. At a news conference Monday, Thompson said through sobs that police didn’t have to shoot Clark 20 times. “Why didn’t they just shoot him in the arm, shoot him in the leg? Send a dog? Send a Taser? Why?” she asked. The NAACP has called for criminal charges against the officers involved, though charges against police in such cases are rare and convictions even rarer. Officers can use lethal force if they reasonably fear for their safety, and in video released last week, they can be heard yelling to each other that Clark had a gun. They are also trained to continue firing until they believe the threat is eliminated. Sacramento police spokesman Detective Eddie Macaulay said the department continues to investigate the case: “We’re always open to the conversation about how we can do things differently or better and this case is no different.”