On March 18, Sacramento police officers shot 22-year-old Stephon Clark 20 times. According to the Sacramento Bee, officers were responding to a report of a black man breaking the windows of several homes in a residential neighborhood. Upon confronting Clark in the backyard of his grandmother’s home where he resided, police officers asked Clark to stop and show his hands. Clark instead fled from the scene, then turned around and approached the police officers with an object in his hand.
Fearing for their safety, the police officers opened fire on Clark. They fired 20 rounds at Clark, hitting him eight times, including six times in the back, according to the New York Times. According to CNN, “The narrative that had been put forth was that they had to open fire because he was charging at them,” said Benjamin Crump, one of the Clark family’s lawyers. “Well obviously, based on Dr. Omalu’s findings and the family’s autopsy, it suggests all the bullets were from behind.”
The unfortunate death of Stephon Clark has rocked the city of Sacramento. People of all backgrounds have taken to the streets in protest of police brutality against people of color. There has been a great surge of anger over the video from the police camera during which the police mute the video after shooting Clark. The officers claim they shot Clark as he was approaching them. The results of the autopsy contradict this statement, as most of the bullet wounds were in his back.
