Dave Reiling will now think twice before calling 911 knowing that the last time he did Sacramento police shot Stephon Clark 20 times. Reiling spoke with the Sacramento Bee Monday (April 9) and said on the night of March 18th, he was watching TV in his trailer when he heard the sound of breaking glass. Alarmed, he went outside and saw two windows in his trucks were broken and men in a hooded sweaters running away.
Reiling called authorities to the 7500 block of 29th Street, and the decision ended with two officers, who have not been identified due to the threats they’ve received, shooting Clark. The first bullet pierced his side, then he was shot six times in his back and once in his thigh, according to an independent autopsy.
“It makes me never want to call 911 again,” Reiling said. “They shot an innocent person.” Clark was killed in his grandparent’s backyard by cops who believed he had a gun. The only item later found on Clark’s person was a cellphone.
Since his death, peaceful demonstrations have taken place in Sacramento and across the country reigniting talk over excessive force by law enforcement towards African-Americans. Rev. Al Sharpton gave the eulogy at Clark’s funeral and famed civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump is representing Clark’s surviving family in the case. Former NBA player Matt Barnes attended a rally and announced he’d set up a college fund for Clark’s two boys to ensure they get a chance to go to college.
Reiling’s trailer sits in his wife’s front yard, which is across the street and just north of where Clark was killed. Reiling’s two trucks that were broken into are a deep-purple colored 1991 Ford explorer along with a white one.
http://www.sacbee.com/latest-news/article208410739.html/video-embed
“He busted two of my windows in and he broke the car’s window across the street from me,” Reiling can be heard saying on the 911 dispatch. Reiling also said he couldn’t make out the man’s features due to the poor lighting. “He was standing on the driver’s side door looking over the truck at me,” Reiling said. “I got my ball bat and started chasing him down the street.”