Justin Sullivan/Getty Images(SACRAMENTO, Calif) — Mourners have arrived at a Sacramento church to grieve the death of Stephon Clark, the 22-year-old man who was unarmed when he was fatally shot by police in his grandmother’s backyard on March 18.
Clark’s wake is scheduled to take place on Wednesday at the Boss Church in Sacramento, and his funeral will follow on Thursday.
Black Lives Matter will also continue its week of protests, with scheduled rallies happening outside the Sacramento District Attorney’s Office Wednesday and Thursday.
Outside of the church, one of Clark’s aunts, Sacramento resident Kimmy Simone, told ABC News she wanted her nephew to be remembered for his smile, his humbleness and “how he loved people.”
“He shouldn’t have to be in here right now,” Simone said, gesturing toward the church.
Simone said that while she was “upset,” she did not expect the heavy media presence that lined the exterior of the church. She thanked the media for covering the story and urged prosecutors to obtain justice for Clark and anyone else who has fallen victim to gun violence.
“You just keep looking at these kids over and over — it’s not black. It’s white. It’s all colors,” She said. “Look at [the] 17 children they killed at that school [Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida]. Look at it. Guns, violence, all that is hate. We don’t need it.”
Another one of Clark’s aunts, Shernita Crosby, echoed Simone’s call for justice, saying that these tragic deaths will happen “over and over again” if nothing is done.
Crosby described Clark as a “kind, loving father” and “always smiling.”
“I want his kids to know we are here,” she said.
On Tuesday night, a city council meeting turned chaotic when Stevante Clark, Stephon Clark’s brother, stormed into the meeting, yelling and ignoring calls to restore order, as video of the meeting showed. Stevante Clark also climbed on top of a dais where the mayor was seated and began to yell into a microphone.
“The mayor and the city of Sacramento has failed all of you,” Stevante Clark said. “The gang-banging has to stop. The poverty is uncontrollable. I need y’all to hear me.”
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders was asked about the fatal police shooting of Stephon Clark at a White House briefing on Wednesday.
She described the shooting as a “terrible incident” but also said that the problem is “something we feel should be left up to local authorities.”
Sanders went on to add: “The president is very supportive of law enforcement. But at the same time, in these specific cases and these specific instances, those will be left up to local authorities to make that determination and not something for the federal government to weigh into.”
Reverend Al Sharpton will deliver the eulogy at Thursday’s funeral.
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