On the afternoon of April 19, 2016, Kirby L. Clark Jr., a 26-year-old African-American man from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, lost his life in a shooting that also left another young man wounded. The violence unfolded at approximately 5:00 p.m. near the intersection of North 10th Street and West Burleigh Street. Clark and an 18-year-old Milwaukee man were sitting inside a vehicle when gunfire erupted, striking both occupants.
What had begun as an ordinary Tuesday afternoon ended in tragedy, leaving one family mourning a loved one and another young man recovering from his injuries.
Milwaukee police and emergency responders arrived following reports of the shooting. Clark had suffered serious gunshot wounds and was rushed to a nearby hospital, where medical personnel attempted to save his life. Despite those efforts, he died from his injuries. The second victim was also transported to a hospital, where authorities determined that his wounds were not life-threatening. Investigators began examining the circumstances surrounding the shooting, attempting to determine who was responsible and what had prompted the attack. Early reports did not establish whether Clark, the surviving victim, or both had been specifically targeted.
News of Clark's death devastated his family. His mother, Arphelia Bynum, faced the heartbreaking responsibility of arranging her son's funeral while struggling with the circumstances of his killing. Because Clark did not have life insurance, a fundraising campaign was established on April 20, 2016, to help cover funeral expenses and provide him with a proper farewell. Friends, relatives, and community members contributed toward the arrangements, offering financial assistance and expressions of sympathy as his family prepared to lay him to rest.
On April 30, 2016, family and friends gathered at Greater Mount Sinai Church of God in Christ, near North 60th Street and West Custer Avenue in Milwaukee, to honor Clark's memory. The church was filled with mourners who had come to pay their final respects. However, what should have been a peaceful farewell was interrupted by another act of gun violence. At approximately 1:30 p.m., an altercation erupted during the funeral gathering, and shots were fired. A 29-year-old Milwaukee man was wounded and transported to a hospital, while another victim, a 28-year-old man, sought medical treatment on his own. Both survived their injuries.
The shooting at the funeral created panic among mourners, some of whom dropped to the floor or sought shelter as gunfire rang out. Witness Perry Ward described taking cover until he believed the shooting had stopped. Clark's family expressed outrage that violence had invaded a place of worship during such a painful moment. His mother explained that, according to her understanding, the confrontation had nothing to do with her son's murder. Instead, she believed it involved a disagreement between two young men that had begun approximately a year earlier. Although the incident occurred during Clark's funeral, authorities did not publicly establish a connection between the two shootings.
The additional violence deepened the family's grief. Clark's stepfather, Joseph Bynum, expressed disbelief that mourners could not feel safe inside a church. His sister, Kirlicia Clark, also spoke about the fear and confusion surrounding the shooting. For a family already struggling to understand why Clark had been killed, the disruption of his funeral added another traumatic experience to their loss.
Meanwhile, the investigation into Clark's murder continued. Milwaukee police initially reported that no suspects were in custody following the April 19 shooting. In early May 2016, Clark's family told local reporters that investigators had informed them they were pursuing leads, but no arrests had been made. Authorities did not publicly release a confirmed motive or identify the person responsible for firing the fatal shots. Available reporting also did not establish whether the surviving victim had been able to provide investigators with information that could identify the shooter.
Clark's death was among the homicides recorded in Milwaukee during 2016, a year in which the city continued to experience significant gun violence. His name was subsequently included in the Milwaukee Homicide Review Commission's annual remembrance of homicide victims. Behind that official recognition was a family left with unanswered questions about an afternoon shooting that had taken a loved one's life.
No subsequent publicly verifiable reports were located identifying a suspect arrested, formally charged, tried, or convicted in connection with Clark's murder. The absence of such reporting does not conclusively establish the investigation's current status, but the available accounts leave the identity of his killer and the circumstances that led to the shooting unresolved. Kirby Clark Jr.'s death remains a painful reminder of the consequences of gun violence, particularly for the relatives and friends who were forced to endure not only his sudden loss but also a second shooting during their attempt to say goodbye.
