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Grandmother of slain Sacramento man calls for police changes

As Sequita Thompson, center, discusses the shooting of her grandson, Stephon Clark, Clark's brother, Ste' vonte Clark wipes a tear from her cheek during a news conference, Monday, March 26, 2018, in Sacramento, Calif. Clark, who was unarmed, was shot and killed by Sacramento police officers a week ago who were responding to a call about a person smashing car windows. At right is attorney Ben Crump. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) As Sequita Thompson, center, discusses the shooting of her grandson, Stephon Clark, Clark's brother, Ste' vonte Clark wipes a tear from her cheek during a news conference, Monday, March 26, 2018, in Sacramento, Calif. Clark, who was unarmed, was shot and killed by Sacramento police officers a week ago who were responding to a call about a person smashing car windows. At right is attorney Ben Crump. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

By Associated Press March 26, 2018 1 min read

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – The grandmother of an unarmed black man killed by Sacramento police is calling for changes in the way police confront suspects. She suggests shooting them in an extremity.

Sequita Thompson said at a news conference Monday that police didn’t need to shoot at 22-year-old Stephon Clark 20 times, killing him in a darkened backyard March 18.

She says through tears that police could have sent in a police dog or used a Taser instead.

Police say they thought he had a gun, but found only a cellphone.

The family’s renowned civil rights attorney, Benjamin Crump, says Clark is the latest face of young black men killed by police.

Members of the Sacramento Kings and Boston Celtics NBA teams took up his cause Sunday, wearing Clark’s name on black warm-up T-shirts.