Shooting of Alton Sterling
 Sterling during altercation
|
|
| Time | 12:35 a.m. |
|---|---|
| Duration | 90 seconds |
| 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 |
| Also known as | CD Man |
| Type | Shooting |
| Filmed by | Bystander's cell phone and security cameras |
| Participants | Howie Lake II, Blane Salamoni (officers) |
| Outcome | Under state investigation |
| Deaths | Alton Sterling |
| Charges | No federal charges filed; state charges pending |
| Litigation | Lawsuit against city of Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge Police Department and officers pending |
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, Howie Lake II and Blane Salamoni, 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 shooting was recorded by multiple bystanders. A loaded .38 caliber revolver was in Sterling's right front pocket, but it is unclear whether he reached for it.
The shooting led to protests in Baton Rouge and a request for a civil rights investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice.
The Department of Justice investigated but in May 2017 decided that it would not file criminal charges against the police officers. After this decision was made by the Department of Justice, Louisiana's attorney general, Jeff Landry, said that the state of Louisiana would open an investigation into the shooting once the Department of Justice releases the physical evidence.
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 was threatening him and waving a handgun while in the process of selling CDs. The officers tased Sterling for resisting several times, 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.
...
Wikipedia