Za’Dok Amori Clark, age 12, died on April 18, 2024, after an accidental shooting at his home on Dean Drive in Kinston, North Carolina. The Lenoir County Sheriff’s Office reports the incident happened just before 7 p.m. while Za’Dok and his 22-year-old sibling were doing target practice in the backyard. The sibling was loading a .22-caliber rifle that did not have a trigger guard; the sibling’s finger struck the trigger, discharging the firearm and fatally wounding Za’Dok in the chest. Emergency responders and deputies arrived and Za’Dok later died; an autopsy confirmed the shooting was accidental. The Lenoir County Department of Social Services and the District Attorney’s office were involved in the investigation, which concluded the death was an accident.

Community support followed: Lenoir County Public Schools offered counseling at Contentnea-Savannah K-8 School, a GoFundMe was set up to assist the family, and a Celebration of Life service was held April 27, 2024, with burial at Hickory Grove Church Cemetery. Anyone who knew Za’Dok or has information about the incident is asked to come forward.