Philadelphia, Pennsylvania — November 22, 2020
Sadeek Clark-Harrison was only 12 years old when someone came to his family’s home in Philadelphia’s Frankford neighborhood in the early morning hours of November 22, 2020.
According to investigators, around 3 a.m., someone knocked on the front door of the residence on the 5000 block of Ditman Street.
Then they called Sadeek by name.
Believing someone was at the door for him, the 12-year-old walked toward the entrance.
Seconds later, a single gunshot was fired through the crescent moon-shaped glass window in the front door.
The bullet struck Sadeek in the head, reportedly in the area of his eye or face.
He collapsed inside his own home.
Despite every effort to save him, Sadeek was pronounced dead at the scene.
This case was submitted to The Vivid Faces of the Vanished by Sadeek’s mother, who says she has spent years pleading for answers and justice in the unsolved murder of her son.
A Child Should Have Been Safe at Home
According to investigators, Sadeek was inside the home with his grandmother and his 10-year-old sister when the shooting occurred.
Investigators recovered a 9mm shell casing from the front porch.
Just weeks later, in December 2020, Philadelphia police released surveillance footage showing two individuals running from the area after the shooting. Despite the video evidence, no suspects have ever been publicly identified or arrested.
Some members of Sadeek’s family have publicly described the killing as an assassination because the shooter specifically called the child’s name before firing through the glass.
Police initially stated they did not believe Sadeek was the intended target.
More than five years later, the question of who was standing at that front door—and why—remains unanswered.
A Mother’s Pain Has Never Ended
For Sadeek’s mother, the events of that morning have never left her.
She remembers desperately trying to save her son as he lay wounded inside their home.
“My son was still breathing,” she shared. “The police did not take him to the hospital. They pulled me off my baby while I was doing CPR and said I was disturbing a crime scene. A detective had the nerve to ask me what time I started CPR on my son after his officers stopped me. It’s been five years, and I still have no closure. I ask every day — what about Sadeek?”
Her words reflect the unimaginable grief carried by a mother who has spent years waiting for answers that have never come.
Remembering Sadeek
Family members remember Sadeek as a loving child who enjoyed helping neighbors and assisting churches throughout the community.
Loved ones called him a “king” and said he brought kindness wherever he went.
To those who knew him, he was much more than another unsolved homicide.
He was a son.
A grandson.
A brother.
A child whose life was stolen inside the place where he should have been safest.
More than five years have passed, yet no arrests have been announced in connection with his murder.
A $20,000 reward remains available for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible.
Someone knocked on that door.
Someone called Sadeek Clark-Harrison by name.
Someone knows who fired the shot that ended the life of a 12-year-old child.
Anyone with information regarding the murder of Sadeek Clark-Harrison is urged to contact the Philadelphia Police Department by calling or texting 215-686-TIPS (8477).
© The Vivid Faces of the Vanished