Police shoot and kill unarmed man in his backyard

Officers say suspect in smashing of car windows was holding an object that they thought was a gun.

Sacramento police fatally shot an unarmed man in his own backyard after responding to a call of a person breaking car windows nearby, authorities said.

The Sacramento County coroner’s office on Tuesday identified the man as 22-year-old Stephon Clark. Police shot Clark on Sunday night in the backyard of a home he shared with his grandparents and some of his siblings, Clark’s brother told the Sacramento Bee.

Officers responded to the 7500 block of 29th Street around 9:15 p.m. after receiving a call that a 6-foot-1 man wearing a black hoodie and dark pants was breaking into vehicles. The caller said the man had broken car windows and was hiding in a backyard, according to the Sacramento Police Department.

A Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department helicopter circling overhead found a man in a backyard at about 9:25 p.m. and directed police officers toward him, authorities said. Deputies told police that the man had picked up a “toolbar” and broken a window to a home.

The helicopter spotted the man running south, toward the front of the house, where he stopped and was looking into another car, police said. Following deputies’ directions, officers entered the front yard of a home and saw the man along the side of the residence. Police said the officers ordered the man to stop and show his hands, but he ran toward the back of the home. They chased him to the backyard, where, authorities say, he turned and advanced toward the officers “while holding an object which was extended in front of him.”

“The officers believed the suspect was pointing a firearm at them. Fearing for their safety, the officers fired their duty weapons, striking the suspect multiple times,” the Police Department said in a news release. “The involved officers held their position for approximately five minutes, until additional officers arrived. Officers approached the suspect, handcuffed him and began lifesaving efforts.”

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

On Monday, police said investigators did not locate any gun after “an exhaustive search” and that the only item found was a cellphone. Authorities said they identified at least three vehicles they suspect Clark might have damaged. A sliding glass door at a nearby home was also shattered, they said.

The two officers involved in the shooting have two and four years with the Police Department, authorities said, and both had four years of law enforcement experience with other agencies before joining the Sacramento police.

Both were wearing body cameras. Police said they plan to release images from those cameras along with video and audio from the law enforcement helicopter.

Neither officer was injured. Police said the officers have been placed on paid administrative leave, per department policy.