Mourners arriving for Stephon Clark's wake as protests in Sacramento continue

The 22-year-old's funeral has been scheduled for Thursday.

March 28, 2018, 9:01 PM

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.

A woman gets help putting on a T-shirt calling for Justice For Stephon Clark, before entering the Bayside of South Sacramento Church for Clarks' wake, March 28, 2018, in Sacramento, Calif.
Rich Pedroncelli/AP Photo
An attendee for the wake of police shooting victim Stephon Clark carries a drawing of Clark to the Bayside of South Sacramento Church, March 28, 2018, in Sacramento, Calif.
Rich Pedroncelli/AP Photo

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.

Stephon Clark's aunt, Sacramento resident Kimmy Simone, pleaded for "no more violence" outside the city's Boss Church, where Clark's wake was held Wednesday.

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.

PHOTO:Stephon Clark's aunt, Shernita Crosby, described him as a "loving father"? and "always smiling."
Stephon Clark's aunt, Shernita Crosby, described him as a "loving father"?� and "always smiling."

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."

Stevante Clark,left, brother of Stephon Clark, arrives for the wake of Stephon Clark at Bayside of South Sacramento in Sacramento, California on March 28, 2018.
Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images

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.”

Community members pay their respects during a wake for Stephon Clark at Bayside of South Sacramento in Sacramento, California, March 28, 2018.
Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images

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.

An undated family photograph of Stephon Clark who was holding his cellphone when he was fatally shot Sunday night by two Sacramento police officers who fired at him 20 times, the department said Tuesday.
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