Police Waited Over 5 Minutes To Give Stephon Clark Life-Saving Medical Attention

Sacramento police recently released 50 additional audio and video files relating to the March 18 killing of 22-year-old Stephon Clark, shedding new light on the tragic events of that evening.

According to the newly released information, Sacramento police waited more than 5 minutes to approach Clark’s bullet-riddled body after officers fired 20 shots at the unarmed man.

In one of the videos, backup officers ask the cops on the scene if Clark has a weapon, a claim police initially used to justify the shooting. Upon closer inspection, however, police later admitted he was holding a cell phone.

“He have a gun?” a male officer is heard asking on the video. “I don’t see it,” one officer responds. “He hasn’t moved at all.”

After the shooting, a female officer also chimed in, telling Clark, “We need to know if you’re OK. We need to get you medics but we can’t go over to get you help unless we know you’re, you don’t have your weapon.”

When Clark doesn’t respond, she suggests using a non-lethal weapons on the dying man.

“Let’s have the next unit get, just bring a non-lethal in case he’s pretending,” she says.

An independent autopsy conducted by a forensic pathologist hired by Clark’s family concluded it took between 3 and 10 minutes for the father of two to die. The delayed medical response from law enforcement is just one more detail for investigators to review as they comb through the evidence from the night.

Clark’s death sparked weeks of protests across the country, with many demanding answers. The man whose 911 call about someone breaking windows led to Clark’s death said “police shot an innocent man” and Calif. Senator Kamala Harris argued the young father’s life “should not have been cut short.”

The officers involved in Clark’s shooting have been placed on administrative leave, and California’s Attorney General, Xavier Becerra, has promised to oversee the investigation.