SACRAMENTO — Hundreds of protesters temporarily took over the main foyer at Sacramento City Hall on Tuesday evening to protest the death of Stephon Clark, who was fatally shot by two Sacramento police officers last week in his grandmother’s backyard while they investigated a vandalism complaint.

The City Council held a special meeting Tuesday evening to hear public comments about the shooting; it was a night of tears for many, and a night of rage for others. As black community leaders explained their frustrations to the city’s leadership within the council’s public chamber — which proceeded largely uninterrupted — about 300 protesters outside in the foyer chanted raucously, while police officers clad in riot gear looked on.

“You shoot us down, we shut you down!” they shouted.

At the top of the meeting, Mayor Darrell Steinberg spoke emphatically about the anger and grief in the community and promised to press the Police Department for answers about the protocols and policies that led to Mr. Clark’s death.