Alton Sterling Shot and Killed by Baton Rouge Police

Mar 30, 2018:

Baton Rouge Police Chief Murphy Paul announced the firing of officer Salamoni. Officer Lake will be suspended for three days.

Mar 27, 2018:

In Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry announced that officers Blane Salamoni and Howie Lake II will not face state criminal charges in the shooting death of Alton Sterling. Landry said that an investigation determined that the shooting was justified.

Police department hearings will be held to determine if the officers involved should be disciplined, and the police department intends to release four videos that have yet to be made public.

May 3, 2017:

Citing insufficient evidence, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that no federal civil rights charges will be filed against Blane Salamoni and Howie Lake II, the two officers at the scene of the shooting.

Read the U.S. Department of Justice statement/conclusion entitled "Federal Officials Close Investigation Into Death of Alton Sterling" here.

Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry said Louisiana State Police will now investigate to see if state criminal charges should be filed.

Commentary:

After watching the video of the shooting and reading the entire U.S. Department of Justice conclusion, it's apparent that the salient point in this case is whether or not Sterling was reaching in his pocket for his gun.

The U.S. Department of Justice conclusion states that twice during the altercation Officer Salamoni voiced to Officer Lake that Sterling was reaching for his gun. The conclusion also states that two witnesses said Sterling's right hand (the hand allegedly going for his gun) was not in his pocket. Regarding these witnesses, the conclusion states "...other inconsistencies in their statements, and because of the fact that parts of their accounts are materially contradicted by the videos, their accounts are insufficient to prove the position of Sterling’s right hand/arm beyond a reasonable doubt at the time the shots were fired."

Very shorty after Officer Salamoni shot Sterling three times in the chest, as Sterling began to sit up and roll to his left, Officer Howe shot Sterling three more times in the back after being told by Howe to "get on the ground". I question whether these additional shots were necessary, and if it's reasonable to expect anyone to respond to an officers request after being shot three times in the chest.

In the end, it boils down to whether you believe what Officer Salamoni said about Sterling reaching for his gun.

I also wonder what actually transpired when the officers first approached Sterling at the storefront. How you approach someone has a lot to do with how they respond.

Maybe things happened just as concluded by the U.S. Department of Justice, but maybe not. Maybe there's a racist element to this. Maybe one of the two officers should have called for immediate backup when they realized they were dealing with a rather large man.

Honestly, I don't think we'll ever know for sure what happened, but it seems to me that sometimes police officers are very quick to use their firearms and to an excessive degree.

Jul 6, 2015:

The U.S. Department of Justice has opened a civil rights investigation into yesterday's Baton Rouge, Louisiana Police shooting of Alton Sterling, a 37-year-old black man who was selling CD's in front of a convenience store. Police were responding to a call regarding an armed man when Sterling was shot.

Video of the incident shows one police officer taking Sterling to the ground, immediately assisted by another officer, pinning Sterling to the ground on his back. Moments later you hear "He's got a gun", you see one officer pull out his weapon and aim it at Sterling's upper body, then you hear a series of five shots.

After the shooting, one of the officers removed a gun from Sterling's pocket. At no time in the video do you see Sterling's gun in his hand or otherwise.

The two officers, identified as Blane Salamoni and Howie Lake II, have been placed on administrative leave.

Watch the video here.

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