CHICAGO — 1969 · Murder
The Fred Hampton and Mark Clark Raid
Before dawn on 4 December 1969 a tactical unit attached to the Cook County State's Attorney's Office, aided by the Chicago Police Department and the FBI, raided the apartment of Fred Hampton, the 21-year-old leader of the Illinois Black Panther Party. More than a hundred shots were fired into the flat; the occupants were found to have fired only once. Hampton was killed in his bed and 22-year-old Panther Mark Clark near the door; others were seriously wounded. A coroner's jury in January 1970 ruled the deaths justifiable and no officer was convicted. A civil suit by survivors and families was settled in 1982 for $1.85 million, paid by the federal government, Cook County and the City of Chicago.
- Date
- 1969
- Place
- West Side, Illinois, USA, Chicago, US
- Category
- Murder
- Case Status
- Closed
- Coordinates
- 41.8810, -87.7130 ↗
Timeline of Events
- 4 December 1969Fred Hampton and Mark Clark were killed in a dawn raid.
- 21 January 1970A coroner's jury ruled the deaths justifiable homicide.
- 1970Survivors and families filed a $47.7 million civil suit.
- 1982The suit was settled for $1.85 million.
Sources
- History.com — The 1969 Raid That Killed Black Panther Leader Fred Hampton history.com ↗
- BlackPast — Mark Clark (1947-1969) blackpast.org ↗
- Wikipedia — Fred Hampton en.wikipedia.org ↗
- History.com
- BlackPast
- Wikipedia
Source grade A: several independent sources, at least one an official record or reference work. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.
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🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.