Police shot and killed Stephon Clark, 23, in the backyard of his grandparents' home in South Sacramento on Sunday after officers mistook a cellphone he was holding for a gun, Vox reported.
The incident has drawn backlash from the neighborhood and prompted The Sacramento Police Department to release on YouTube video and audio material related to the incident to gain clarity of how events unfolded that fateful night.
Officers responded to a report about a man allegedly seen breaking into cars along 29th Street, who was believed to have been hiding in a backyard.
In a recording of the initial 911 call, the complainant told the dispatcher that he believed Clark had broken his truck's windows, although he said he had not seen the man steal anything, KTXL-TV noted.
"He was just standing next to the truck right there by my door," the caller said. "And I walked out and I said, 'Excuse me? Who are you? What are you doing?' I realized... I saw my window was what was busted out. That's when I went after him, he took off."
Police launched a neighborhood search, during which they identified at least three vehicles allegedly damaged by Clark, which led them to the home of Clark's grandparents.
Video footage appears to show officers chasing Clark from the driveway of the residence to the backyard, yelling "Hey, show me your hands. Stop. Stop," CNN reported.
Minutes later the police opened fire, shooting several fatal rounds at Clark.
In a statement later released, police said that the officers involved believed Clark was armed after he advanced with his arms extended, "holding an object in his hands."
However, after conducting a thorough search of the area, police were unable to locate any firearms, just a cell phone laying near Clark's body.
Clark's aunt, Saquoia Durham, said the fatality could have been avoided.
"They didn't give him a chance to put his hands up or anything, and then when they shot him down, they knew they messed up," she told the Sacramento Bee.
A community protest ensued on Monday night, as people from the neighborhood gathered near the shooting on 29th Street, CBS News reported.
"It's very upsetting, it's very saddening to see people that look like you get killed over and over again in your city," said Tanya Faison from the Sacramento chapter of Black Lives Matter, according to CBS News.
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