Stephon Clark, the unarmed California man killed by police in his grandmother’s back yard, was facing away from the officers when they fired and hit him seven times from behind, the family’s attorney announced Friday, saying an independent autopsy revealed falsehoods in law enforcement’s narrative.

The 22-year-old father of two also did not die instantly and was alive for about three to 10 minutes while police failed to provide him medical aid and instead yelled commands at him and handcuffed him, according to the doctor who conducted an autopsy for Clark’s loved ones.

The news conference in Sacramento is likely to spark further outrage across the country after a week of national scrutiny surrounding the police killing of an unarmed black father in his family’s home on 18 March.

“It contradicts the narrative that has been put forth by the police … that they had to open fire because he was charging at them,” said Benjamin Crump, the family’s attorney. “The bullets were from behind.”

Sacramento police have said the officers were responding to calls about someone breaking into cars when they located Clark in the back yard. Body-camera footage revealed that two officers ran in and shouted “show me your hands!” and “gun!” and fired a rapid succession of bullets at the unarmed man less than 20 seconds after they arrived.

Police officials said the officers fired a total of 20 bullets and that they later discovered Clark was only holding his cellphone in his hands.

“Prior to the shooting, the involved officers saw the suspect facing them, advance forward with his arms extended, and holding an object in his hands,” police wrote in an initial press release.

The autopsy for the family was conducted by Bennet Omalu, an internationally recognized forensic pathologist famous for his work identifying head trauma in NFL players.

“The proposition that has been presented that … he was facing the officers, is inconsistent with the prevailing forensic evidence,” Omalu told reporters, adding, “It was not an instantaneous death.”

Asked if Clark could have survived if he had received medical attention directly after the shooting, Omalu said he could not speculate, but noted that the US congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords survived a gunshot wound to the head after receiving immediate help.

Clark was hit six times in the middle of his back, one time on the back side of his body and once in the front in his thigh “when he was either on the ground or falling close to the ground”, Omalu said. Each bullet wound could have been fatal, he added.

The question of whether Clark was facing the officers or running toward the officers could be key in terms of whether prosecutors file charges or secure a conviction, though the law broadly allows officers to avoid consequences for killings if they argue they feared for their lives.

Regardless of Clark’s exact movements, his supporters have pointed out that the officers did not announce they were police and immediately started firing at him while on his family’s property.



Earlier in the week, Stevante Clark, Stephon’s older brother, told the Guardian that he was not confident that his family would find resolution in the criminal justice system.

“The chances of cops going to jail are very rare,” he said in a wide-ranging interview about the family’s fight to defend Clark while struggling through immense grief. “We’re not going to get justice, because my brother’s not coming back.”

The family’s lawyers have said they plan to file a lawsuit over the killing.

Sacramento police said in a statement on Friday that they had not yet received the official report from the county coroner and could not comment further on the case.

A spokesperson added in an email: “We acknowledge the importance of this case to all in our community and we are committed to a thorough and comprehensive investigation.”