The Sacramento Police Department placed the officers on paid administrative leave and opened a use of force investigation.

Police have stated they are confident that Clark was the suspect responsible for breaking windows in the area prior to the encounter.

[1][2] Stephon Clark (born Stephan Alonzo-Clark,[3] August 10, 1995 – March 18, 2018)[4] an African American, graduated from Sacramento High School in 2013, where he was on the football team.

[5][6][7] According to The Los Angeles Times, Clark lived in a "tough neighborhood" characterized by tense relations with the Sacramento Police Department.

"[3][8] Sacramento County court records show that Clark had a history of convictions for robbery, domestic abuse, and a prostitution-related offense.

[1] A toxicology report also released by police found traces of cocaine, cannabis, and codeine in Clark's system.

[7] The Sacramento Police Department stated that on Sunday, March 18 at 9:18 p.m., two officers responded to a 9-1-1 call that an individual was breaking car windows.

[5] A sheriff's helicopter spotted a man at 9:25 p.m., in a nearby backyard and told officers on the ground that he had shattered a window using a tool bar, run to the front of that house, and then looked in an adjacent car.

[8] The police stated that the officers feared for their safety, and at 9:26 p.m., fired 20 rounds, hitting Clark multiple times.

On the evening of that day, police revised their statement to say that Clark was carrying a cell phone, and not a tool bar, when he was shot.

[5] The Sacramento Police Department began a use-of-force investigation and placed both officers on paid administrative leave.

Clark had also received text messages from Manni telling him that he would be sent back to prison for the domestic incident and that he would not see his children for a long time.

[2] Schubert stated that the officers had probable cause to stop and detain Clark and that they were legally justified in using deadly force against him.

[1] On March 5, 2019, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced that his office could not file criminal charges for Clark's death.

[25][26] The Sacramento Police Department initially stated that they would release the names of the officers who shot Clark within 10 days of the event.

[27] In March 2019 shortly after the district attorney decided to not press charges against them, the two officers came forward and revealed their identities (Terrance Mercadal and Jared Robinet), and opened up about their experience during the shooting in an interview with The Sacramento Bee.

[29][30][31][32] One week after the shooting, the Sacramento Kings and Boston Celtics NBA teams wore shirts with Clark's name and the words "Accountability" and "We are One" during warm-ups and the national anthem.

[33] On March 31, after an autopsy by Omalu had concluded that Clark was shot eight times, mostly in the back, hundreds of protesters gathered in downtown Sacramento.

The peaceful protest was led by retired NBA player Matt Barnes, who announced that he is starting a scholarship fund for Clark's sons.

Members of the progressive advocacy group National Lawyers Guild who were present during the protest said the vehicle "accelerated very fast" as it hit Cleveland and then "sped off".

One protester said they went through the area populated by Sacramento's elite because it was "a neighborhood that would likely never experience such a tragic and violent loss of one of its residents, so we are bringing the discomfort and pain of our trauma to their doorstep".

[44] On March 26, White House spokesman Raj Shah stated that he was unaware of any comments from President Donald Trump regarding the incident.

[50] University of South Carolina criminology professor Geoffrey Alpert stated that it might be hard for officers to justify their conclusion that Clark was armed, since they had been told he was carrying a toolbar.

[51] Peter Moskos, assistant professor of Law and Police Science at John Jay College, said that the officers appeared to think they had been fired upon following the shooting.

Cedric Alexander, former police chief in Rochester, New York, and former president of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, said that the muting did not appear to violate any policy, although the action would reflect poorly on the officers.

[53] In April 2018, the city of Sacramento enacted a policy that generally prohibits police officers from shutting down their body cams and audio recording devices.