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Stephon Clark, 22, was shot dead on March 18, 2018 by two police officers.
California prosecutors have decided not to accuse two police officers who killed an unarmed black man last year, saying "shooting was legal".
Sacramento County District Attorney Marie Schubert announced on Saturday that officers Terrance Mercadal and Jared Robinet would not be charged during the death of Stephon Clark on March 18 after an independent review of the case which revealed that the two men had used lethal force legally.
The 61-page examination by the prosecutor's office revealed that Mercadal and Robinet "had an honest and reasonable belief that they were at imminent risk of death or serious injury."
Schubert said the decision "in no way diminishes the tragedy, anger and frustration we have heard since the death of his death".
She added, "We can not ignore that there is rabies in our community".
The reaction to the decision came quickly on Saturday. Clark's mother, Sequette, was one of the first to weigh, refusing to accept the prosecutor's ruling. "They executed my son," she said, according to the Associated Press. "This is not true."
Also on Saturday, Governor Gavin Newsom and civil rights activists called for criminal justice reforms regarding the use of deadly force. Newsom called it a harsh truth: "Our criminal justice system treats young black and Latino men and women differently than their white counterparts, and that must change."
The community's response to the prosecutors' decision remained an open question early Saturday night, even though Sacramento prepared for demonstrations; A professional association has warned business owners and state power officials in recent days have asked them to stay away from the city center at least during the weekend .
STEPHON CLARK SHOOTING: A CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS
Clark was shot and killed on March 18; both officers reacted to information that someone was breaking the windows of the car. Police said they thought Clark was the suspect and that he had run when a police helicopter stepped in without obeying the officers' orders.
Police said that they thought Clark was holding a gun when he approached them, arms outstretched and an object in his hand. It was later discovered that he had only one cell phone on him.
The police video of the shooting does not clearly reflect everything that happened after Clark hit his grandmother's garden.
She initially showed him heading towards the officers who were searching behind a corner of the house, but it is unclear whether he was facing them or knew he was in the presence of the officers when they opened fire after shouting "gun, firearm, gun." The video showed Clark staggering to one side and falling on his stomach as the police continued to fire.
THE EXTRACTION OF STEPHON CLARK IN SACRAMENTO: "20 PLANS ON A CELLPHONE"
"We must recognize that they are often forced to make decisions in a split second and we must recognize that they are in a tense, uncertain and rapidly changing situation," Schubert said Saturday.
A review of the district attorney's findings revealed that "the law recognizes the inherent right to use lethal force to protect oneself or others from death or serious bodily harm."
He continued: "This fundamental legal principle is known as the right of" self-defense ". A policeman does not lose his basic right by becoming a police officer. "
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Clark's family, including his two sons, parents and grandparents, sued for wrongful death in January, asking the city, Mercadal and Robinet, for more than $ 20 million. The prosecution alleges that the use of force was excessive and that Clark was the victim of racial profiling.
One of the officers who shot Clark is black and the other is white, police said.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
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