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Video shows cops waited for over five minutes to help Stephon Clark thinking he was 'pretending' to be shot

The case sparked outrage in the region, where hundreds of demonstrators rallied for justice and protested against police shootings of unarmed black men
UPDATED JAN 20, 2020
 Stephon Clark (Source:Getty Images)
Stephon Clark (Source:Getty Images)

Sacramento police officers reportedly waited for over five minutes before assisting Stephon Clark as they suspected that he might be "pretending" to be hurt after the shooting. 

The Sacramento police officers, on March 18, reportedly fired at least 20 shots at 22-year-old Clark, who was standing in his grandmother's backyard.

Police later said that the officers were responding to a report that a man had broken car windows and was hiding in a backyard. They also explained that they shot at Clark because they believed he was pointing a gun at them. He was later found to be unarmed with only a cell phone near him. 

The case sparked outrage in the region, where hundreds of demonstrators rallied for justice and protested against police shootings of unarmed black men.

Demonstrators protesting rampant police killings of unarmed black men in the region. (Getty Images)

The newly-released footage shows officers watching Clark, with their guns drawn, as he lay on the ground dying. The clip is from the body camera of an officer who arrived at the scene shortly after the shooting.

One of the officers — who shot Clark — can be heard saying that he can not see any weapon with or near Clark. The officer said that they had believed Clark had been armed.

"I don't see it… He hasn't moved at all," one of the officers says as they watch Clark's motionless body on the grass. 

While another officer can be heard shouting: "We need to know if you're okay. We need to get you medics, but we can't go over to get you help unless we know you're… you don't have a weapon."

The officer, after receiving no response from Clark, even suggests that a unit "bring a non-lethal" weapon in case Clark was "pretending."

In the clip, the officers can be seen approaching Clark's body after a while and they take another minute to handcuff him first despite his body being motionless, and then proceed to administer CPR.

A protester holding up a sign with Stephon Clark's name on in, demanding justice for him. (Getty Images)

The officer administering CPR, at one point, in the clip asks him to "wake up" and "breathe for me." After the officer pumped Clark's chest for nearly two minutes, a Sacramento firefighter took over.

The first responder, after a few minutes, can be heard saying: "Yeah, he's gone. Totally flat," as he goes on to mark the time of the 22-year-old's death.

Over 50 videos were released by the Sacramento Police Department (SPD) on Monday, April 16. The multiple clips were from body and dash cameras of the police officers and their vehicles present at the scene of the incident. The authorities released the videos in an attempt to provide a more complete picture of what exactly unfolded that night.

The Sacramento Police Department last week issued new directions on muting of the body cameras worn by its police officers, detailing how and when the officers can mute their devices, in wake of Clark's shooting.

The order was issued after a police body camera footage captured someone telling officers to mute their cameras after Clark was fatally shot by the officers.
 

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