Protesters block traffic in Sacramento after Stephon Clark funeral

Demonstrators crowded the streets of downtown Sacramento during rush hour Thursday to protest the shooting death of an unarmed black man by police.

It was the third day in a row that protesters blocked traffic in the city in response to the death of 22-year-old Stephon Clark, who was gunned down by Sacramento police officers last week during a confrontation, The Associated Press reported.

The protests came as mourners gathered in a church for Clark’s funeral. There, the Rev. Al Sharpton and others called for an end to the excessive use of force by police against black people.

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Despite the demonstrations downtown, however, protesters did not bar fans from entering a Sacramento Kings NBA game on Thursday, as they had done previously.

Clark’s brother, Stevante Clark, had requested that protesters not interfere with the game, according to the AP.

Clark was shot and killed by police officers on March 18 in the backyard of his grandmother’s home, where he had been living. Video footage of the confrontation shows police chasing a man into the backyard and shouting that he had a gun.

The officers then opened fire, killing the man, who was later identified as Clark. He was holding a cellphone.

Clark’s death touched off protests, calling for policing reform and decrying the use of deadly force by law enforcement against minorities.