Police officers who fatally shot unarmed 22-year-old Stephon Clark will not face charges

The Sacramento Police officers who fatally shot 22-year-old Stephon Clark, who was holding a cellphone at the time of his death that police mistook as a gun, will reportedly not face charges.

Local authorities said Saturday that the lethal use of force by the two officers, who returned to work month after Clark’s death last year, was lawful in the March 2018 shooting, CBS News reported. 

{mosads}”We must recognize that they are often forced to make split-second decisions and we must recognize that they are under tense, uncertain and rapidly evolving circumstances,” Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schub said at a news conference Saturday afternoon.

Clark’s death sparked demonstrations across the nation last year from many who demanded changes in how police use deadly force, particularly against people of color. 

On the night of Clark’s death, police were responding to a 911 call from a person who claimed that someone in the area was breaking into cars. Police then chased Clark into the backyard of his grandmother’s house, where he lived, and opened fire.

At the time of his death, police said that they believed that Clark was holding a gun. But it was later revealed that only a cellphone was found on him.