The Sacramento Police Department (SPD) has completed a thorough investigation of the March 18 police shooting of Stephon Clark. Today we have submitted the results of that investigation to the Sacramento County District Attorney and the California Department of Justice for their review.

“Our role has been to conduct a thorough investigation and give the Sacramento County District Attorney and State of California Department of Justice the information they need to reach a decision,” said Chief of Police Daniel Hahn. “We have taken this responsibility seriously, and we have delivered on our promise to thoroughly pursue the facts and report them.”

During this seven-month investigation, beginning in the moments immediately following the shooting and lasting until mid-October, investigators interviewed numerous witnesses and processed a large amount of physical evidence from the scene.   Investigators also examined many hours of video from officers’ body-worn cameras, in-car cameras, and from a sheriff’s department helicopter. Additionally, a significant amount of forensic evidence was analyzed in this case.   

“We recognize that this incident has had a significant impact on our community, and that our investigation had to be as thorough and as open as it could be,” said Chief Hahn. “That’s why we released more information than we ever have before, and why we took the time needed to be sure we found every fact available to us. I believe Mr. Clark’s family and our entire community deserve an accurate and comprehensive inquiry into the tragic events of March 18, and I believe we have done that.”

On March 21, three days after the shooting, our department released body-worn camera videos of the shooting. On April 16, an additional fifty-two videos were released to the public. Releasing video of a critical incident this quickly is unprecedented, not only for our organization, but also, for any law enforcement agency in the nation. Our department also released the Sacramento County Coroner’s Autopsy report on this case. On March 27, the Sacramento Police Department asked the State of California Department of Justice to aid with the investigation. This was done to assist our agency with a thorough and comprehensive investigation of this event, and to ensure that it was conducted with the greatest transparency possible. We recognize the tremendous efforts of the investigators from our department and the California Department of Justice who have worked extensively on this case.

Here is a timeline of significant dates related to this incident:

March 18: Officer-Involved Shooting.

March 21^:  SPD Released body-worn camera videos of the shooting and video from a Sacramento County Sherriff’s Department helicopter.

March 27: The Sacramento Police Department asked the State of California Department of Justice to aid with the investigation. Additionally, investigators obtained a search warrant for Stephon Clark’s cell phone.

March 29: Stephon Clark’s cell phone was shipped to a private company to be analyzed. 

April 4: SPD issued an immediate directive for the use of the body-worn camera.

April 16: SPD released fifty-two additional videos from the shooting (body-worn camera   and in-car camera videos).

May 1: SPD released the Sacramento County Coroner’s Autopsy Report.

July 10: Investigators received the results of the content inside Stephon Clark’s cell phone.

July 26: SPD implemented a new foot pursuit policy.

August 9: Investigators obtained a search warrant related to follow-up from Stephon Clark’s cell phone.

October 9: Investigators received a final crime lab report of forensic evidence. Additionally, investigators received results from a follow-up search warrant.

October 15: Investigators completed additional interviews.

Our department did not wait for the outcome of the investigation before making key policy changes intended to improve how the agency handles similar circumstances in the future. Since March, our department has strengthened our policy related to the use of body-worn cameras and implemented a policy designed to make all parties safer in the event of a foot pursuit.

“It is our responsibility to continually examine all of our policies and practices for any opportunity to improve how we police our community,” Hahn said. “We are committed to this ongoing work as a permanent part of who we are as a department.”