Family Of Slain Sacramento Librarian Amber Clark Now Suing Police And Prosecutors
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — The family of slain librarian Amber Clark is suing the Sacramento police and the Sacramento County District Attorney's office over the release of tracing results from the weapon allegedly used in her killing.
Clark was shot and killed outside her North Natomas branch in 2018. The DA's office says federal law prohibits sharing that information about the weapon.
Now, her husband Kelly Clark is suing to force prosecutors to release it. He hopes to use the records to push for stricter gun control laws.
"There's not a day that goes by that I don't think about her and what was taken from her," Kelly Clark said. "I don't think I could wake up and look at myself in the mirror every day If I didn't give my best to keep pursuing, and fighting for change."
READ: City Council Honors Slain Sacramento Librarian Amber Clark By Naming Teen Space After Her
The suspect, Ronald Seay, was arrested within hours of the deadly shooting and charged with Clark's murder. The weapon allegedly used was a gun legally purchased in Missouri.
"I mean, it's been 18 months since Amber was murdered and you'd hope that you'd be able to get this information well before then," Kelly Clark said.
Sacramento police declined to comment on the lawsuit. The Sacramento County District Attorney's office released a statement reading in part, "...our ethical requirements sometimes prevent us from disclosing information to the public and, unfortunately, even to our victims during the pendency of a case. That includes the request for information related to firearms purchasing and tracing, which is restricted by federal law."
Federal law expert Mark Reichel says the lawsuit will pit California's constitutional victims' bill of rights against federal law.
"I don't know what interest the federal government would have to override a Californian constitutional amendment, giving the victims the right to know this type of information," Reichel said.
Now as prosecutors seek to convict a Sacramento librarian's alleged killer for murder, her family is suing police and the DA in an effort to change the system.
"It's not enough to simply prosecute," Kelly Clark said. "How do we prevent this?"
Once this lawsuit is served, the Sacramento police and DA will have 30 days to respond to it.