On March 2, 2019, the District Attorney’s Office released a report saying that the officer-involved shooting of Stephon Clark on March 8, 2018 was justified and that the officers involved would not be held accountable.
On the evening of March 18, 2018, two officers responded to a 911 call of an alleged individual who was causing a disturbance in the Meadowview area that involved breaking car windows. Officer Terrance Mercadal and Officer Jared Robinet confronted the individual, later identified as 22-year-old Stephon Clark, in the backyard of one of the houses where Clark had fled. The officers stated that they had fired 20 rounds, believing Clark was armed.
In a 61-page report issued on March 2nd, Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert declared that “based on the circumstances of this incident,” officers Merdadal and Robinet had “honest and reasonable belief that they were in imminent danger of death or great bodily injury” and therefore, “acted lawfully in shooting Clark to defend themselves.”
On that following Sunday, March 3, Arden Fair mall was closed to the public because of concerns of a possible protest that might occur there in reaction to the DA’s report. Mall officials were alerted of the potential demonstration by city officers. A small amount of people gathered vigilantly outside of the mall Saturday night, and were allowed to remain until Sunday morning.
84 people were arrested Monday night, March 4, after nearly 100 demonstrators took to the streets of East Sacramento and the wealthy “fabulous ‘40s” neighborhood to protest the district attorney’s decision to not press charges against the officers who involved in the shooting.
Arrests were made after five cars were keyed during the duration of the protest. The volume of arrests were so large that protestors were bussed to Cal Expo to await processing. Three Sacramento reporters were also detained and released following the end of the activity.
On March 7, 2019, hundreds of high school and college students marched from Sac City College to downtown Sacramento, demanding reforms and voicing anger at the DA’s ruling at the steps of the state capitol. The march also reached Sacramento High School’s campus, the school where Clark attended.
The majorly student-led march on Thursday was organized and led by campus chapters of Black Student Unions and members of Sacramento’s Black Lives Matter. Faroz Migadde (‘20), president of Black Student Union at C.K.M., discussed Stephon Clark, the DA’s decision, and the several events that followed.
“The consensus is that it is a huge shame,” she said. “And it is unfortunate that that event happened and has become humanized and normalized to the point where we just internalized it.”
Addressing Schubert’s statement, Migadde expressed that she and the students in BSU were ashamed of the justice system to have come to the conclusion that the officers’ actions were lawful. “Overall we believe there could have been more action done,” she affirms.
When asked about the protests that occured at Arden Fair, she said, “Protesting at a mall does leave some impact, but [students in BSU] believe they [should have] had done it in a different location.” Regarding the arrests on Monday night, Migadde believed those who were arrested were done so unlawfully and should not have to face consequences because the act of protesting is protected under the First Amendment.
Stephon Clark was born and raised in Sacramento, in a neighborhood characterized by its strained relations with the Sacramento Police Department. Clark had been released from county jail one month prior to the night the shooting took place. Court records showed a history of convictions dating back to 2014, including robbery, domestic abuse, and a number of other offenses.
On March 16, two nights before the shooting, the report released by the DA described an event in which officers responded to a 911 call that Clark had allegedly physically abused his girlfriend and mother of his two kids, Salena Manni. Manni told police Clark slapped and punched her multiple times in the face and across her body before shoving her head into the wall. At that time, Clark was on probation for two cases of domestic violence against his girlfriend, one for robbery, and the fourth for loitering for prostitution. He was not at the scene when the police arrived.
According to texts that were extracted from the cellphone in Clark’s possession the night he was killed, which belonged to his girlfriend, Clark had tried to call her 76 times the night after she called 911. Texts reveal he begged her to not help the police send him to jail after she told him she’d reported him.
Investigators found that in the 24 hours preceding Clark’s death, he was using his phone in an attempt to reach his probation officer, contact old girlfriends, and locate Xanax and other drugs. The review also revealed Clark had used the phone’s Internet to conduct searches such as “What is the quickest and easiest way to kill yourself” and “What pills can you die from.”
The officers who shot and killed Clark were unaware of Clark’s criminal record when they encountered him in the Meadowview yard. His record was not considered in the initial investigation of his death.
According to Schubert’s statement issued with Saturday’s report, there will be no further action taken in the case of Stephon Clark.