Civil rights advocates and law enforcement groups have reached an agreement in the California Legislature on new rules for when police can use deadly force.
The issue has been a focus for many social justice advocates in California this spring after Sacramento's district attorney declined to prosecute the officers who fatally shot Stephon Clark, an unarmed black man whose death sparked headlines and demonstrations across the country.
Under the agreement made public Thursday, officers will be able to use lethal force only when it is "necessary" and if there are no other options.
That's widely viewed as higher than the existing legal standard: that the use of deadly force is legal if a "reasonable" officer would have acted similarly in that situation.
But the bill language leaves out a specific definition of "necessary," which would leave interpretation up to the legal system to figure out case by case.
The measure is now expected to pass the Assembly before next week.
"We can now move a policy forward that will save lives and change the culture of policing in California," Assemblywoman Shirley Weber, who introduced the bill, wrote in a statement.