Six weeks after Sacramento police shot unarmed Stephon Clark to death in a dark backyard, police released the county coroner’s autopsy report that differs sharply from the family’s private autopsy findings that said he was shot six times in the back, reports the Sacramento Bee. Coroner Kimberly Gin said that she brought five pathologists into the matter “in light of the erroneous information that was released from the private autopsy.” Among the new findings: Clark was shot seven times – not eight – and three of the shots – not six – were fired into his back. The findings are starkly different from those presented March 30 by Dr. Bennet Omalu, a noted pathologist hired by the Clark family legal team.
A toxicology report also released by police found traces of cocaine, cannabis and codeine in Clark’s system. Dr. Gregory Reiber, a pathologist who reviewed the county’s autopsy report at Gin’s request, differed from Omalu about where the first shot hit Clark, as well as the direction Clark was facing in relation to the officers. Sacramento police said the shooting “is still being actively investigated by our department and the state of California Department of Justice.” Clark was shot March 18 after running from police and ending up in his grandmother’s backyard. Officers responded to the scene after a neighbor reported a man breaking car windows. Police say the officers believed he had a gun and opened fire. Police subsequently said there was no gun, that Clark was an unarmed 22-year-old black man carrying only a cellphone.