Yet another young black man was brutally murdered by police. Stephon Clark, 22, was born and raised in Sacramento and died from eight gunshot wounds on March 18, leaving behind a large family and his two young sons.

His criminal background isn’t pretty. He was charged with robbery, pimping and domestic abuse over four years, and when he died, he was still on probation for a 2014 robbery.

But Clark was shot because he was a black man, not because of his criminal history. His past crimes have nothing to do with his death and cannot take away from the violence that occurred. The most recent autopsy, one ordered by his family, revealed that he was shot six out of the eight times in the back. The forensic pathologist who performed the independent autopsy said his findings indicate Clark was facing away from officers when he was shot.

However, police claim that Clark was not only facing officers, but coming toward them with something in his hand that looked like a firearm. That firearm turned out to be a cellphone, and outrage has erupted around the country in response.

“Clark was shot because he was a black man, not because of his criminal history.”

The Sacramento Police Department responded to a call around 9:15 p.m. that a man was breaking into cars and hiding in a backyard. A sheriff’s department helicopter reported seeing a man in a backyard, which ended up being Clark.

It is also important to note that the officers’ body cameras were muted minutes after the shots were fired. A sergeant arrived on the scene and was heard saying “Hey, mute,” while reaching for his body camera. The last thing heard was, “Hey, you guys good?”

It is clear that Clark was murdered because of police bias toward black people. There is no doubt that, if a 22-year-old white man was standing in his grandmother’s backyard like Clark was, holding a phone and running away from officers, he would have been apprehended in a different way.

Tackled, tased, apprehended – whatever. But definitely not shot at 20 times.

Sequita Thompson, Clark’s grandmother, said, “Why didn’t you shoot him in the arm? Shoot him in the legs? Send in dogs? Send in a Taser? Why? Why?”

Clark’s family plans to file a federal suit and has the support of thousands of people across the country, many of whom have protested peacefully in the streets of New York and Sacramento. It’s important to add that not all black people and people of color who die at the hands of police have the visibility that Clark’s murder has.

The White House has dismissed Clark’s murder and the following protests, calling it “a local matter.” It is hardly a local issue when we see another senseless murder at the hands of the people who are supposed to protect the citizens that pay them with tax dollars. I would hope that the president and his White House staff would address such a significant issue that affects a large portion of the country, but I’m not surprised he is ignoring it.