Parents Of Stephon Clark Awarded $1.7 Million Settlement By City Of Sacramento

The parents of Stephon Clark, 22, the unarmed Black man gunned down by two Sacramento Police Department officers, were awarded $1.7 million by the city of Sacramento on Friday, officials said in a statement, the Sacramento City Express reports.

“The decision to resolve the case through a negotiated agreement comes after careful consideration of all options,” said City Attorney Susana Alcala Wood, according to the outlet. “We believe this is the best path forward for all involved parties including our community.”

Clark’s brother, Stevante Clark, said at a news conference on Friday that he is determined to fight for the officers involved in the shooting to be terminated, charged, and prosecuted, a local NBC affiliate KCRA reported.

“There’s no reason I should be out here talking about my brother’s legacy, defending my brother’s legacy, when the officers who murdered him should be proving their innocence in court,” Stevante said. “We always have to relive the death of Stephon.”

As it stands, this iteration of payments to the Clark family will go to Stephon’s parents. In October 2019, the city paid $2.4 million to Clark’s two sons, then ages 2 and 5, when his family filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the city and the two officers, The New York Times reports.

“Stephon Clark’s death was a tragedy that brought pain and sorrow to his family and to our entire city,” Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg said in an official statement, KTXL reports. “Everyone wishes this heartbreaking event had not occurred. A family lost a son, a grandson, a brother, and a father.”

In March 2018, officers shot at Clark 20 times, striking him seven times as he fled to his grandmother’s backyard in the Meadowview neighborhood. Police suspected he had a weapon, but Clark’s cellphone was in his hand.

According to the New York Times, his death ushered protests in the capital city and persuaded the city and the state to alter their policies on how police officers can use deadly force.

To date, the two officers responsible for Clark’s death, Terrence Mercadal and Jared Robinet, were not criminally prosecuted and remain on the police force, according to a police spokesperson.

Stevante Clark organized events to honor Stephon Clark’s 27th birthday on Aug. 10.