A private autopsy reveals Stephon Clark, the unarmed 22-year old Black man killed by Sacramento police in his grandmother’s yard, was shot at least seven times from behind, according to The Associated Press.
The New York Times reports Clark “was shot eight times from behind or the side.”
Police claim they thought he had a gun. He was carrying a cellphone. They shot him 20 times. They were responding to a call about someone breaking windows.
“The autopsy concluded that Mr. Clark’s death was not instantaneous, taking an estimated three to 10 minutes, raising questions about why Mr. Clark was not given more immediate medical care after the shooting,” The Times adds.
Dr. Bennet Omalu told reporters Friday afternoon the 22-year old was shot in his back four times, his neck twice, and in his underarm and leg one time each.
“You could reasonably conclude that he received seven gunshot wounds from his back,” Dr. Omalu said Friday. Each of those seven shots could have killed him.
These results create a problem for police
“These findings from the independent autopsy contradict the police narrative that we’ve been told,” attorney Benjamin Crump, who represents Clark’s family, said in a statement. “This independent autopsy affirms that Stephon was not a threat to police and was slain in another senseless police killing under increasingly questionable circumstances.”
The New York Times earlier this week released this graphic video of Clark’s killing: