Alton sterling
 Sterling just before being shot and killed
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| Time | 12:35 a.m. |
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| Date | July 5, 2016 |
| Location | 2112 North Foster Drive, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States |
| Coordinates | 30°28′05″N 91°08′22″W / 30.4680°N 91.13954°WCoordinates: 30°28′05″N 91°08′22″W / 30.4680°N 91.13954°W |
| Type | Shooting |
| Filmed by | Bystander's cell phone and security cameras |
| Participants | Howie Lake II, Blane Salamoni (officers) |
| Outcome | Under investigation |
| Deaths | Alton Sterling |
On July 5, 2016, Alton Sterling, a 37-year-old black man, was shot several times at close range while held down on the ground 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 someone outside a convenience store. The shooting was recorded by multiple bystanders.
The shooting led to protests in Baton Rouge and a request for a civil rights investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Alton Sterling (June 14, 1979 – July 5, 2016) was known locally in Baton Rouge as "CD Man." He had a criminal record that included violent offenses; a 2009 affidavit of probable cause that said he resisted arrest and, a "black semi auto gun fell from his waistband" as the arresting officer wrestled him on the ground. The arresting officers were not aware of Alton Sterling's record at the time of the shooting.
The owner of the store where the shooting occurred, Abdullah Muflahi, said that Sterling had started carrying a gun a few days prior to the event as other CD vendors had been robbed recently. Muflahi also said that Sterling was "not the one causing trouble" during the situation that led to the police being called. At the time of his death, Sterling was 37 years old.
The police officers involved in the shooting were Howie Lake II and Blane Salamoni. Lake had three years of law enforcement experience which included a previous shooting of an African-American male. He was subsequently placed on a department-mandated leave; Salamoni had four years of experience. Salamoni and Lake had both been previously investigated and cleared by their department for allegedly having used excessive force.
At 12:35 a.m., at 2112 North Foster Drive, in the parking lot of Triple S Food Mart, Sterling was detained by Baton Rouge Police Department officers. This came after an anonymous caller reported that a man believed to be Sterling was threatening him and waving a handgun while in the process of selling CDs. The officers tased Sterling, then forced the heavy-set man 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, both attempting to control his arms.
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Wikipedia