Lance Clark was a 9-year-old boy from Oakland, California, who was killed on July 26, 1993, during a robbery attempt. The attacker, 20-year-old tenant Earnest Dykes, tried to rob Lance’s grandmother, Bernice Clark, in the apartment building parking lot. During a struggle Dykes fired a .45-caliber semiautomatic pistol; the bullet struck Bernice in the neck and then fatally wounded Lance, who was sitting next to her in the car.

Dykes was arrested and charged with multiple offenses, including first-degree murder for Lance’s death and attempted murder for wounding Bernice. At trial the defense argued the shooting was accidental and challenged the confession’s admissibility; the court admitted the confession, and an Alameda County jury convicted Dykes of murder, attempted murder, robbery and illegal possession of a loaded handgun. Victim impact testimony described Lance’s plans to buy a toy for his younger brother and his affectionate nature.

Does anyone have memories of Lance or information about the case that could add detail to the record?