The California attorney general’s office on Tuesday joined an investigation into the fatal police shooting of an unarmed black man in Sacramento, a move the police chief said he hopes will bring “faith and transparency” to a case that has sparked angry protests.
City officials and community leaders called for calm as they announced the attorney general’s involvement while Sacramento prepares for events memorializing 22-year-old Stephon Clark, where large crowds are expected.
“Due to the nature of this investigation, the extremely high emotions, anger and hurt in our city, I felt it was the best interest of our entire community, including the members of our police department, to ask the attorney general to be an independent part of this investigation,” Police Chief Daniel Hahn said.
Those emotions were on display Tuesday evening as Clark’s brother, Stevante Clark, marched into a City Council meeting, chanted his brother’s name and jumped on the dais in front of Mayor Darrell Steinberg.