Grandmother's emotional plea for justice after Sacramento police shoot unarmed Stephon Clark

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'They didn't have to kill him like that,' Grandmother of Stephon Clark, Sequita Thompson, told a news conference. Credit: PA

The grandmother of an unarmed black man who was killed by US police has made an emotional plea for change in the way officers approach suspects.

Sacramento police shot at Stephon Clark 20 times, killing the father-of-two in his grandmother's back garden, despite him only carrying a mobile phone.

Sequita Thompson gave an emotional news conference demanding prosecutions as she called for officers to adopt a less lethal approach when confronting suspects.

"Why didn't you just shoot him in the arm, shoot him in the leg, send the dogs, send the Taser," she said.

"Why? You didn't have to do that."

Sacramento Police, who have released body-camera footage showing the moment Clark was shot, says he ignored orders to stop and show his hands.

It is rare for police officers to be charged or convicted following a shooting due to the doctrine of reasonable fear.

This is when prosecutors or jurors justify use of lethal force because they believe officers have reason to fear for their safety.

Mr Clark's family are now preparing for an independent post mortem.