Protest of Sacramento police shooting delays start of Hawks game

The game between the Hawks and Kings in Sacramento was delayed because protesters blocked the entrance to Golden 1 Center, prompting the Kings to bar fans from entering or leaving the building.

The Sacramento Bee reported that "hundreds of protesters" were demonstrating against the fatal shooting of Stephon Clark by Sacramento Police on Sunday night. The protest shut down an interstate that feeds into downtown and later moved to the arena entrances, according the Bee.

The Kings issued a statement explaining their decision to prohibit fans in or out of the arena.

“Due to law enforcement being unable to ensure ticketed fans could safely enter the arena, the arena remains closed and we ask fans outside to travel home,” the statement said. “We will issue further information soon regarding a refund."

The game tipped off about 15 minutes behind schedule. Fox Sports Southeast play-by-play announcer Bob Rathbun described the arena’s atmosphere as “unnerving” just before the start of the game.

Kings beat writer Jason Jones provided live updates about the events on his Twitter account.