Stephon Clark shooting: California won't charge police in killing

SACRAMENTO -- California's attorney general won't charge two Sacramento police officers who shot and killed an unarmed black man last year.

Attorney General Xavier Becerra's announcement Tuesday follows a prosecutor's finding that the two officers broke no laws when they shot 22-year-old Stephon Clark.

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Officers Terrance Mercadal and Jared Robinet say they mistakenly thought Clark was approaching them with a gun after he ran into his grandparents' backyard as police investigated vandalism.

Investigators found only a cellphone.

Clark's killing prompted intense protests last year in California's capital city and demonstrations nationwide.

Clark's family and black leaders urged Becerra to reach a different conclusion than the local prosecutor.

That decision this weekend renewed protests and has increased support for changing the state's legal standard for when police can kill.