California to Join Probe Into Fatal Police Shooting of Unarmed Black Man

The attorney general’s office in the western U.S. state of California is joining an investigation into the deadly police shooting of an unarmed African-American man to provide independent oversight.

The announcement was made by the police chief of Sacramento, the capital city of California, where the shooting occurred. Chief Daniel Hahn said the partnership is intended to “build faith and confidence” in the probe.

Attorney General Xavier Becker said his office would ensure the probe would be “based on the facts and the law, nothing less, nothing more.”

Law enforcement authorities are investigating the death of Stephon Clark, who was fatally shot by two police officers earlier this month in his grandparents back yard.

The officers were responding to a nighttime phone call about a man breaking car windows and a glass door in the area. They encountered him in the yard and shot him to death, firing 20 bullets.

Clark did not have a weapon. Only a cell phone was found nearby.

The police killing of another unarmed African-American person sparked outrage from activists who are demanding greater independence in the investigation. Some have called for the officers to be charged.
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