Sacramento Police Shooting Draws Protests

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Protesters took to the streets Monday night after an officer shot and killed a suspect the night before in his family's backyard.

Stephen Clark was 23 years old.

Dozens gathered on the corner of Meadowview just a block from the shooting on 29th Street.

"This is how it impacts our communities," said Tanya Faison, spokeswoman for Black Lives Matter.

Many people are still trying to make sense of yet another deadly shooting.

"I'm mad as hell, but I gotta trust in God because only God can fix this because I believe, but it's terrible," said Shernita Crosby, Clark's aunt.

Police were called to 29th Street just before 9 p.m. Sunday night.

"The latest information that we have is that the subject was breaking into multiple vehicles," said Sgt. Vance Chandler with Sacramento Police.

With help from the sheriff's department helicopter, they located Clark in a backyard trying to enter a house.

That's when the officers said they gave the suspect commands to stop and show his hands, but instead, police said the suspect came at them.

"Pointed an object at our officers and officers believed that it was a firearm in our officers fired their duty weapons in fear of their own lives," Chandler said.

After the shooting detectives learned that the home was where Clark was living and that he was carrying a tool, not a gun.

"You killed him at his auntie—I mean his grandma and grandpa, where he stays house and they shot him four times," Crosby said.

His family is having a hard time believing Clark would go after officers.

Investigators said both officers were wearing body cameras and the helicopter camera above was capturing the event and will help shed some light on this case.

"It allows not only us to see what happened, but it allows our community to see what happened," Chandler added.

Until then, Stephen's family said they'll continue to fight for justice.

"This one right here I don't understand I can't grasp of this one. Now I'm starting to think that black lives don't matter," Crosby said.

The police officers involved in this incident have two and four years with the Sacramento police department. However, both have prior law enforcement experience with other agencies before joining SPD.

All footage from this incident will be released within the next 30 days.