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Sacramento Will Pay Stephon Clark’s Children $2.4 Million In Wrongful Death Settlement

The 22-year-old was unarmed when he was killed by police last year.

The city of Sacramento has agreed to pay Stephon Clark’s two sons $2.4 million settlement for a wrongful death lawsuit. 

Clark's family initially desired $20 million through a federal civil rights lawsuit against the city of Sacramento, including the two officers who shot and killed him. Clark's parents and grandparents and the city reached a verbal settlement in June.

Clark was killed on March 18, 2018 in his grandparents' south Sacramento backyard as officers Terrance Mercadal and Jared Robinet pursued him as a vandalism suspect. 

A Sacramento County sheriff’s helicopter led officers to Clark, after they were responding to a call about a person breaking car windows abut was currently hiding in a backyard. 

The shooting sparked nationwide outrage after county authorities declined to file charges against the two officers who shot Clark. The cops fired 20 rounds at Clark after they assumed he had a gun. He only had a cellphone.

He was shot seven times, with six of them striking him in the back. 

The wrongful death lawsuit, filed in January, claims the officers racially profiled Clark and used excessive force. 

Clark's sons, 2 and 5, will be able to access their tax-free money when they are between 22 and 25. After taxes and deductions, Clark’s children will receive a net settlement of $893,112.94 each. 

About a quarter of the settlement, $600,000, will be payable to Clark family’s attorneys, including the firm of civil rights lawyer Benjamin Crump.

The proposed settlement is not final, as it requires a judge to issue a final order approving the settlement.

A conference in the case is scheduled for the beginning of October.

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