Hundreds of Stephon Clark protesters attend Sacramento city hall meeting on shooting

Hundreds of people gathered for a Sacramento, Calif., City Council meeting Tuesday evening to protest the police shooting of an unarmed black man last week.

Crowds gathered outside the meeting, which was scheduled as an “open community dialogue” that would focus on the police shooting of Stephon Clark on March 18, The Sacramento Bee reported.

Clark was shot in his grandmother’s backyard after police responded to a report that a suspect was breaking car windows. Video from police body cameras shows the officers thought Clark had a weapon and shot him 20 times. The only object they found on Clark’s body was a cell phone.

The initial crowd of dozens outside the City Council meeting grew to hundreds, according to reporters on the scene. All the public seats inside the meeting room were occupied and there was a line to get in. {mosads}

“Shut it down!” They’re chanting. Another recurring phrase: “You shoot is down, we shut you down!” pic.twitter.com/1bCOWKYWaM

— Jose A. Del Real (@jdelreal) March 27, 2018

Clark’s brother, Stevante Clark, spoke out during the meeting, first leading chants of his brother’s name and later calling out Mayor Darrell Steinberg.

Stephon Clark’s brother is interrupting the city council meeting. “They don’t care about you!” he screamed. pic.twitter.com/GrXiimAaTs

— Jose A. Del Real (@jdelreal) March 27, 2018

“The mayor and the city of Sacramento has failed all of you,” he told the crowd.

The audience and Clark’s remarks led the council members to call for a brief recess.

Inside the council chambers, black community leaders are talking about healing, justice and reconciliation. Outside, angry protesters want to shut the meeting down. A striking juxtaposition. pic.twitter.com/3uc9hDHJXw

— Jose A. Del Real (@jdelreal) March 27, 2018

California’s attorney general announced earlier Tuesday that his office would conduct an independent investigation into the shooting.

Police Chief Daniel Hahn called for the independent investigation and said the shooting was a “tragedy that no one wants to see or experience.”

“Due to the nature of this investigation, extremely high emotions, anger and hurt, I felt it was in the best interest of our entire community to ask the attorney general to be an independent part of the investigation,” Hahn said.

The protests came on the same day it was announced that Baton Rouge, La., police officers would not be charged for the 2016 fatal shooting of Alton Sterling.