Sacramento police shot 20 times at unarmed man in his yard

Relatives, activists and Sacramento officials are questioning why police shot at an unarmed black man 20 times, killing him, when he turned out to be holding only a cellphone in his grandparents' backyard.|
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ASSOCIATED PRESS

SACRAMENTO - Relatives, activists and Sacramento officials are questioning why police shot at an unarmed black man 20 times, killing him, when he turned out to be holding only a cellphone in his grandparents' backyard.

Police say the man, identified by relatives as 22-year-old Stephon Clark, was spotted breaking vehicle windows Sunday night. Sheriff's deputies in a helicopter say they saw him break a neighbor's sliding glass door.

Two officers chased him into the backyard of his grandparents' home, where he was staying. The department says they opened fire when he pointed what they thought was a handgun.

No gun was found.

Clark's grandmother, Sequita Thomas, questioned the officers' decision to fire at Clark while he was in his own backyard. She told The Sacramento Bee , "they didn't have to do that."

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