What happened to Alton Sterling?

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On July 5, 2016, Alton Sterling (June 14, 1979 – July 5, 2016), a 37-year-old black man, was shot dead at close range by two white Baton Rouge Police Department officers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Police were responding to a report that a man in a red shirt was selling CDs and that he had used a gun to threaten a man outside a convenience store. The owner of the store where the shooting occurred said that Sterling had started carrying a gun a few days prior to the event as other CD vendors had been robbed recently. He also said that Sterling was "not the one causing trouble" during the situation that led to the police being called. The shooting was recorded by multiple bystanders. 

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The shooting

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At 12:35 a.m. Sterling was detained by Baton Rouge Police Department officers Blane Salamoni and Howie Lake. This came after an anonymous caller reported that a man was threatening him and waving a handgun while in the process of selling CDs. According to the officers, when Sterling refused to cooperate, they tasered Sterling several times, then forced Sterling to the hood of a sedan and then to the ground. Sterling was pinned to the ground by both officers; one kneeling on his chest and the other on his thigh. As Sterling's right hand remained free, Salamoni exclaimed, "He's going into his pockets! He's got a gun! Gun!" Lake, pointing his gun, yelled, "Hey bro, if you fucking move, I swear to God!" Then Salamoni was heard on the video saying, "Lake, he's going for the gun!" The camera caught Salamoni firing three shots, panning away while three more shots were fired before panning back to show Sterling's body sprawled out. The officers retrieved a loaded .38 caliber revolver from Sterling's front pants pocket. 

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According to Parish Coroner William Clark of East Baton Rouge, a preliminary autopsy, on July 5, indicated that Sterling had died from multiple gunshot wounds to his chest and back. Multiple bystanders' cell phones captured videos of the shooting as well as store surveillance cameras and officer body cameras. A video was made available the day after the shooting by the store owner and eyewitness, who said in a statement to NBC News, "Sterling never wielded the gun or threatened the officers." In March 2018, the bodycam footage from the officer who shot him was released, revealing that, seconds after arriving to help the other officer already engaged in trying to detain Sterling, he pulled his gun and threatened to shoot Sterling if he moved. 

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What happened with his case?

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The Department of Justice investigated but in May 2017 decided that it would not file criminal charges against the police officers. In response, Louisiana's attorney general, Jeff Landry, said the state of Louisiana would open an investigation into the shooting once the Department of Justice released the physical evidence. In March 2018, Landry's office announced it would not bring charges against the officers stating that they acted in a "reasonable and justifiable manner".  

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Louisiana U.S. Representative Cedric Richmond said that the footage of Sterling's shooting is "deeply troubling" and called for a U.S. Department of Justice investigation into the man's death. The United States Department of Justice opened a civil rights investigation on July 7, 2016. On May 2, 2017, it was subsequently announced the department would not bring charges against the officers involved. After the Department of Justice announced that it would not charge the 2 officers, Louisiana attorney general Jeff Landry announced that the state of Louisiana would begin an investigation. In a statement, Landry wrote "The USDOJ’s review of this matter was to determine violations of federal law: specifically, federal civil rights laws. To date, this matter has not been investigated or reviewed for possible violations of the Louisiana Criminal Code. Therefore, this matter now needs to be investigated for possible state criminal violations." In March 2018, Landry's office announced it would not bring charges against the officers stating that they acted in a "reasonable and justifiable manner". On March 30, 2018, officer Salamoni was fired for violating use of force policies, and Lake was suspended for three days for losing his temper. 

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What can we do?

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1. Contact Louisiana Attorney general Jeff Landry demanding Sterling's case be re-opened.

(225-326-6079) (225-326-6757) (877-297-0995) ConstituentServices@ag.louisiana.gov 

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2. Sign the petition demanding justice for Alton Sterling

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