City Councilmembers Walk Out After Protestor Disruptions

Loud cries for justice echoed in Sacramento's City Council Chambers after council members left the room, shutting down the meeting.

"Police brutality is murdering my neighbors," shouted Reverend Ronald Bell of Clear As A Bell COGIC.

The council exited in the face of support shown for more police accountability -- something they said was disrupting discussion about possible new use of force guidelines for city officers.

The 18 shots fired at Joseph Mann in July were much on the mind of many in the room as his family has filed a wrongful death suit against the city as dash cam video has shown police tried to target the mentally ill man with their cruiser before he was shot to death.

Head of Community Police Commission Steps Down, Calls for a Commission with More Power

The head of a year-old Sacramento Community Police Commission has stepped down from his position.

Pastor Les Simmons made the announcement this morning, saying the commission he’d be in favor of needs more authority and power to create change.

“What’s relevant now is a commission that has more power,” said Simmons.

Police made a mess of Mann case

On Monday morning, Robert Mann stood in the grass of an empty lot on Del Paso Boulevard, trying, as raindrops began to fall, to find the right words to describe his disgust with the “renegade police” who tried to run over his younger brother, Joseph. Failing, they shot him, 14 times.

“This disgraces the oath that you took,” he spat into a bank of microphones.

It’s hard to begrudge Mann his anger. Thanks to enhanced audio from dashcam videos that the Sacramento Police Department never wanted to release in the first place, we now know the despicable details of how Joseph Mann, mentally ill and holding a knife, died in July.

Officers John Tennis and Randy Lozoya tried to hit him with their cruiser – not once but twice. They sped onto the scene, interrupting the efforts of other officers who had been trying to de-escalate the situation.

“I’m going to hit him,” the driver said, according to court papers. “OK, go for it,” his partner responded. When that didn’t work, they chased Mann on foot.

“We’ll get him,” one said.

Within a few seconds, they had fired 18 rounds, striking him 14 times.

So now, in addition to suing the city, the Mann family has taken the extraordinary step of asking the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate the case and the Police Department as a whole.

Officers’ contrasting tactics add to scrutiny of Mann case

When the first Sacramento police officers answered a 911 call for an armed mentally ill man in July, they remained calm and attempted to de-escalate the unfolding situation in North Sacramento.

Their reserved approach contrasts starkly with two officers who arrived four minutes later and attempted to run over the suspect before chasing him on foot and shooting him 14 times, based on a Sacramento Bee review of separate dashcam videos.

Hit and gun: Sacramento cops who fatally shot Joseph Mann seemingly tried to run him over first, video reveals

The two veteran officers who pumped Joseph Mann with 14 bullets seemingly tried to hit the mentally distressed black man with their patrol vehicle—twice—before gunning him down on a north Sacramento sidewalk this past July, SN&R has confirmed.

Black Lives Matter Protest In North Sacramento for Joseph Mann

Black Lives Matter protestors stood amongst other community members in solidarity, asking for justice for Jospeh Mann and others killed by police.

Pastor Les Simmons, ACT leader and Board Member, works with the Police Commissions Advisory Board. Simmons was at the protest and said he is not against police just wants change. 

"We nee to meet each other where we are at, understand each other and have some empathy for what each other is feeling right now," Simmons said. 

He wants a conversation to start and non-lethal alternatives to be available to every officer, like bean bag guns and rubber bullets. 

"Let's take it to a whole other level, this is what our community is asking for, let’s go get it, lets be a city that compliments each other," Simmons added. 

Protesters Call For More Police Transparency After Joseph Mann Shooting Videos Released

Black Lives Matter protesters took to the streets to call for more police transparency Wednesday night. This just one day after Sacramento police released graphic video of officers shooting and killing an armed black man.