An independent medical examiner said Stephon Clark, 22, was hit by eight of the 20 bullets fired at him by Sacramento cops
Sacramento police shot at an unarmed Stephon Clark 20 times, hitting him eight – six times in the back, once on the side of his neck towards the back, and once on his left thigh.
Dr. Bennet Omalu, a medical examiner hired by Clark’s family, performed an independent autopsy on Tuesday and revealed the results during a press conference on Friday afternoon.
‘Each one of these bullets possessed, independently, a fatal capacity,’ he said.
‘All he needed to have died was just one of the seven.’
The forensic pathologist used a body diagram to show where each bullet hit the father-of-two, 22.
He added: ‘You could reasonably conclude that he received seven gunshot wounds from his back. He was shot from the back.’
This theory of what happened between Clark and police during the dead confrontation contradicts what authorities have said: that the man they believed to be unarmed walked towards them as they approached him.
‘The proposition that he was facing the officers is inconsistent with the prevailing forensic evidence,’ Omalu stated.
The pathologist added that Clark, a father-of-two, did not die immediately and it probably took him between three and seven minutes to pass
Police said officers commanded Clark to show his hands, and ultimately shot him out of fear for their safety because they mistakenly thought he was pointing a gun at them
Omalu also said he was surprised when he examined Clark and realized there were no fatal wounds to the front of his body.
According to the expert, Clark did not die immediately after being shot, even if he was unresponsive as police asked if he was armed, and it took him between three and ten minutes to pass.
Still, Clark did not have many hopes of survival, Omalu said.
‘Given the overkill nature of the shooting, the probability of survival was reduced by each gunshot wound.’
Results of the official autopsy by the Sacramento County Coroner are yet to be released.
Stephon Alonzo ‘Zoe’ Clark was chased by two police officers into his grandparent’s backyard on March 18.
It was there he was riddled with bullets as officers yelled at him to put his hands up.
The horrific incident was caught on the officers’ bodycam footage after police received a call about a man breaking car windows in the area.
Police say Clark ‘turned and advanced towards the officers while holding an object which was extended in front of him,’ and which they mistook for a firearm being pointed at them.
But Clark was found with just a cellphone besides him.
Five minutes after the shooting, backup arrived and Clark was placed in handcuffs before officers began life-saving efforts. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
His grandmother Sequita Thompson was at home that night and heard the gunshots. She said when police interviewed her, they made no mention of any fatalities.
Clark’s funeral was held on Thursday, with Rev. Al Sharpton giving the eulogy.
Stevante Clark, his distraught older brother, took over the mic from Alice Huffman of the California NAACP as he spoke during the funeral at Bayside of South Sacramento church.
The 25-year-old led the crowd of around 500 to chant his dead sibling’s name, while vowing that the ‘Clark family will not be forgotten’.
Clark’s name has been a rallying cry at protests and calls for police reform in California and beyond. In Sacramento, protests have been concentrated on the office of district attorney Anne Schubert.
Police later identified at least three vehicles in the area with damage that is believed to have been caused by Clark. A nearby home also had had a sliding door shattered.
Sequita Thompson recounts the horror of seeing her grandson Stephan Clark dead in her backyard and points to the white area on the patio where he lay dead
Clark’s name has been a rallying cry at protests and calls for police reform in California and beyond
The two officers who shot Clark have two and four years with the Sacramento Police Department. However, both have four years prior law enforcement experience with other agencies.
As per department policy, both cops have been placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation.
Clark leaves behind his two young sons, ages one and three.
He had been released from the county jail a month ago, according to his brother Stevante.
Court records indicate that Stephan had a criminal record that included two felony charges of domestic abuse, to which he pleaded guilty and was agreed to enter a treatment program.
In 2008, he was picked up on a robbery charges, and in 2013 he was arrested on counts of possession of a firearm and possession of a controlled substance.
A GoFundMe campaign has been launched by a friend to help the family with Clark’s funeral expenses.