A black man's life was c*ut short by p*olice in his own backyard.
On March 18, 2018, Sacramento p*olice f*atally sh*ot 22-year-old Stephon Clark behind the home he shared with his grandparents.
According to the Sacramento Bee, officers were responding to reports of someone b*reaking car windows in the area. Officers claim they believed Stephon was the c*ulprit and had been carrying a w*eapon. They sh*ot at him 20 times.
On Saturday, Sacramento's District Attorney attempted to p*osthumously strip Stephon of his humanity while asserting the two officers who k*illed him were justified in k*illing the young father. In the same breath, she cited a toxicology report and an i*ncident in which cops were called to his home days before. Thus, his sh*ooting will not go to t*rial as have a number of other i*ncidents involving una*rmed Black men and f*atally trigger-happy p*olice. Stephon’s identity was predictably reimagined as that of someone deserving of the unapologetic devaluation of Black lives. Despite the DA's aforementioned remarks, use the below as reference points when remembering his name:
1. Stephon was a stay-at-home father.
Stephon's d*eath leaves 3-year-old Aiden and 1-year-old Cairo to grow up without a father.
2. His kids weren’t the only ones whose lives will be haunted by the k*illing.
Stephon lived with his grandparents and siblings. Friends often referred to him as “Zoe” which is short for his middle name, Alonzo.
3. He was k*illed by Sacramento p*olice officers who thought he was carrying a g*un, no ... a tool bar, right?
P*olice had differing accounts of what they believed Clark was carrying. They initially claimed it was a g*un then later said it was tool bar that posed a th*reat. The actual c*ulprit was a rose-gold iPhone 6 belonging to his girlfriend Salena Manni. The cell phone was the only item found on Stephon.
4. There’s a reason his name is being spelled differently throughout media outlets.
To separate his name from that of his father’s, Stephon changd his birth name of “Stephan” to “Stephon.” Throughout our reporting, we’ll honor his preference.
5. Two p*olice officers sh*ot 22-year-old Stephon 20 times.
Each of the two officers involved f*ired 10 rounds. They then waited five minutes before administering CPR to Stephon.
6. Unbeknownst to his grandmother, she’d been speaking with p*olice for hours while her grandson laid d*ead in her backyard.
Although it’s unclear why p*olice were interviewing Stephon’s grandmother Sequita Thompson for hours -- if not to tell her they just k*illed grandson -- she was nonetheless unaware he’d been f*atally sh*ot in her backyard hours ago. She told the Sacramento Bee, “I opened that curtain and he was d*ead. I started screaming.”
7. P*olice claim they gave commands for Stephon to put his hands up. His grandmother just heard sh*ots.
According to the Los Angeles Times, p*olice said they told Stephon to stop and put his hands up before sh*ooting. His grandmother said she heard nothing but g*unfire.
8. G*un v*iolence makes for an utterly t*ragic family affair.
Stephon's 25-year-old brother Stevante told the Sacramento Bee he wants Stephon b*uried next to their brother who also lost his life to g*un v*iolence.
9. Now, we wait.
In 2016, Sacramento p*olice established that p*olice would be required to wear body cameras while on-duty. Bodycam footage of Stephon's sh*ooting won’t be made public for another 30 days.
In the meantime, we vow to continue saying -- and tweeting-- his name. Stephon Clark's legacy won't be reduced to a product of anyone's botched narrative.