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Alton Sterling Police Shooting Prompts Justice Dept. Investigation in Baton Rouge Alton Sterling Shooting in Baton Rouge Prompts Justice Dept. Investigation
(about 3 hours later)
The Justice Department has opened a civil rights investigation into the fatal shooting of a black man by the Baton Rouge police, as Louisiana’s governor appealed to a city roiled by the killing to remain calm. The Justice Department opened a civil rights investigation on Wednesday into the fatal shooting of a black man by the Baton Rouge police that was captured on video, as city and state leaders appealed to a city roiled by the killing to remain calm.
Two officers were arresting Alton B. Sterling, 37, early Tuesday, and had him pinned to the ground when at least one of them shot him — an episode that was partially captured on video. The shooting prompted protests, and relatives of Mr. Sterling, civic leaders and state lawmakers demanded an investigation independent of the Baton Rouge police. Two white officers were arresting Alton B. Sterling, 37, early Tuesday, and had him pinned to the ground when at least one of them shot him. There were indications that Mr. Sterling might have had a gun, but officials refused to say definitively whether he was armed.
“I have full confidence that this matter will be investigated thoroughly, impartially and professionally,” Gov. John Bel Edwards said. “I have very serious concerns. The video is disturbing, to say the least.” The episode was partially captured on video, propelling the case to national attention, like a string of recorded police shootings before it. The shooting prompted protests, and relatives of Mr. Sterling, civic leaders and state lawmakers demanded an investigation independent of the Baton Rouge police.
The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, the F.B.I. and the United States Attorney’s Office in Baton Rouge are conducting the investigation, the department said in a statement. The governor endorsed the federal takeover of the case, saying that he had discussed it with federal law enforcement officials, and he promised the cooperation of the State Police. “I have full confidence that this matter will be investigated thoroughly, impartially and professionally,” Gov. John Bel Edwards said in announcing the federal takeover of the case. “I have very serious concerns. The video is disturbing, to say the least.”
Pleading for calm, the governor said: “I know that that may be tough for some, but it’s essential that we do that. I know that there are protests going on, but it’s urgent that they remain peaceful.”Pleading for calm, the governor said: “I know that that may be tough for some, but it’s essential that we do that. I know that there are protests going on, but it’s urgent that they remain peaceful.”
Speaking at an earlier news conference, officials and family members said they wanted to know why Mr. Sterling had been shot and killed outside a convenience store where he was selling CDs. The decision to have the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, the F.B.I. and the United States Attorney’s Office in Baton Rouge conduct the investigation was welcomed by a lawyer for Mr. Sterling’s family. “We’re confident that it won’t be swept under the rug,” said the lawyer, Edmond Jordan, who is also a state representative. “I think people are confident that justice will be pursued.”
“This community deserves an answer,” said State Representative C. Denise Marcelle. Officials identified the two officers as Blane Salamoni, who has been with the Police Department for four years, and Howie Lake II, with three years’ experience; both have been placed on administrative leave.
At 12:35 a.m. Tuesday, police officers went to the Triple S. Food Mart on North Foster Drive in response to a call about a man selling music CD’s and wearing a red shirt who was said to have threatened someone with a gun, the Police Department has said. A cellphone video shot by a bystander, which was released later in the day, showed Mr. Sterling tackled by a police officer. He is then held to the ground by two officers, and one officer appears to hold a gun above Mr. Sterling’s chest. (The linked video is graphic.) A call to a phone number for Mr. Salamoni was answered by a man who said he was not the officer, but who would not identify himself. “When all the all the facts come out, they did what they had to do,” the man said, and then hung up.
At one point someone on the video can be heard saying, “He’s got a gun! Gun!” and one officer can be seen pulling his weapon. After some shouting, what sounds like gunshots can be heard and the camera shifts away. Then more shots can be heard. The police have not said whether Mr. Sterling had a gun, though there have been reports that they recovered one from him. Mr. Salamoni is the son of Noel Salamoni, a captain in the department who is in charge of special operations, a fact that may have factored into the decision to turn matters over to the Justice Department.
It is also unclear whether both officers fired their guns, or only one; both were placed on administrative leave. William Clark, the coroner of East Baton Rouge Parish, who is known as Beau, said that Mr. Sterling had died at the scene from multiple gunshot wounds to the chest and back. Local and state officials endorsed that the federal takeover of the case. ”We feel it is in the best interest of the Baton Rouge Police Department, the city of Baton Rouge and this community for this to happen,” the police chief, Carl Dabadie Jr., said.
Scores of protesters gathered in Baton Rouge on Tuesday after Mr. Sterling was killed. In other cities with high-profile deaths of people in police custody — among them Cleveland, Baltimore and Ferguson, Mo.— when local law enforcement agencies have kept control of the investigations and prosecution, they have often drawn intense criticism for their handling of the cases.
Ms. Marcelle, the lawmaker, who was briefed by the police, said that the officers had been wearing body cameras during the confrontation with Mr. Sterling but that she was told they fell off during the struggle. There are multiple videos that may show the conflict with Mr. Sterling, in addition to the one recorded by a bystander that has been made public, Lt. Jonny Dunham, a Baton Rouge Police Department spokesman, said at a news conference. Mr. Jordan, the family lawyer, called on the police to release the videos, but Lieutenant Dunham said that for now, the department was providing them only to the federal authorities.
She said investigators had recovered surveillance footage from cameras mounted at a convenience store and on the dashboard of a patrol car. “We have in-car camera video footage, we have body camera video footage and there is video at the store,” Lieutenant Dunham said. Of the recordings from the body cameras the officers wore, he said: “That footage may not be as good as we hoped for. During the altercation those body cameras came dislodged.”
Edmond Jordan, a lawyer for the Sterling family who is also a state representative, called on the Baton Rouge police to release the video collected from a camera at the convenience store, which the store owner has suggested captured the entire confrontation. At an earlier news conference on Wednesday, family members, elected officials and civic leaders demanded to know why Mr. Sterling had been killed. Some of them, including the local N.A.A.C.P. president, Mike McClanahan, called on Mr. Dabadie to resign.
“There are no criminal charges pending against anyone as far as we know,” Mr. Jordan said, adding, “So why are they holding on to this video?” Cameron Sterling, Mr. Sterling’s 15-year-old son, wept uncontrollably as his mother, Quinyetta McMillon, delivered a statement.
At one point during the news conference on Wednesday, Cameron Sterling, the 15-year-old son of Mr. Sterling’s wept uncontrollably as his mother, Quinyetta McMillon, delivered a statement.
“The individuals involved in his murder took away a man with children who depended upon their daddy on a daily basis,” Ms. McMillon said, adding, “As a mother I have now been forced to raise a son who is going to remember what happened to his father.”“The individuals involved in his murder took away a man with children who depended upon their daddy on a daily basis,” Ms. McMillon said, adding, “As a mother I have now been forced to raise a son who is going to remember what happened to his father.”
Other civic leaders, including the local N.A.A.C.P. president, Mike McClanahan, called for the police chief to step down. In a Twitter post early Wednesday, the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson called the shooting a “legal lynching.” On Tuesday, a person called the police to report that a black man selling music CD’s outside the Triple S Food Mart on North Foster Drive, who was wearing a red shirt, had threatened him with a gun, the Police Department said. Two officers arrived and confronted him about 12:35 a.m.
Mr. Sterling’s name began trending on Twitter Tuesday night, as people expressed disgust and anguish at his death. Images from social media showed large numbers of protesters marching in Baton Rouge. The cellphone video shot by a bystander, which was released later in the day, shows an officer pushing Mr. Sterling onto the hood of the car and then tackling him to the ground. He is then held to the ground by two officers, and one officer appears to hold a gun above Mr. Sterling’s chest. (The linked video is graphic.)
A crowd outside of the Triple S Food Mart on Tuesday swelled to more than 200 people, according to The Baton Rouge Advocate, with many demanding that the officers be punished. At one point someone on the video can be heard saying, “He’s got a gun! Gun!” and one officer can be seen pulling his weapon. After some shouting, what sounds like gunshots can be heard and the camera shifts away.
At times, they chanted, “Black lives matter,” and “hands up, don’t shoot,” rallying cries that have echoed at protests across the country in recent years over concerns about racial bias in shootings by police officers. The police have not said whether Mr. Sterling had a gun, but witnesses told reporters that they saw a handgun on the ground next to him. Mr. Jordan, the lawyer, said Mr. Sterling’s relatives were not aware of him owning a gun.
Representative Cedric Richmond, Democrat of Louisiana, released a statement early Wednesday that expressed outrage over the shooting and called on the Justice Department to investigate. William Clark, the coroner of East Baton Rouge Parish, said that Mr. Sterling had died at the scene from multiple gunshot wounds to the chest and back. Lieutenant Dunham declined to say whether both officers fired their guns, or if either of them used an electric stun device on Mr. Sterling.
“I ask the leaders and citizens of Baton Rouge to join me in demonstrating our anger with dignity and demanding proper focus on our cause with perseverance,” he said. “His family and the citizens of Baton Rouge — especially the citizens of North Baton Rouge — deserve answers and that is what we will seek in a fair, thorough, and transparent way.” Mr. Sterling’s name began trending on Twitter Tuesday night, as people expressed disgust and anguish at his death. Images from social media showed large numbers of protesters marching in Baton Rouge. In a Twitter post early Wednesday, the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson called the shooting a “legal lynching.”
Mr. Jordan, the family lawyer, said that he did not know whether Mr. Sterling carried a gun and that several relatives he had spoken with “were not aware that he had a gun.” Mr. Jordan, speaking on CNN, said he did not think the shooting was justified and questioned why the officer fired, and then waited to fire again. A crowd outside of the Triple S Food Mart on Tuesday swelled to more than 200 people, according to The Baton Rouge Advocate, with many demanding that the officers be punished. At times, they chanted, “Black lives matter,” and “Hands up, don’t shoot,” rallying cries that have echoed at protests across the country in recent years over concerns about racial bias in shootings by police officers.
“The city has to give some good answers,” he said, “and I don’tthink they will be able to.”
Mr. Jordan urged calm in the community, asking that the protests remain peaceful out of respect for Mr. Sterling.
By Wednesday morning, a makeshift memorial was set up outside the Triple S Food Mart. A vigil was scheduled to be held there at 6 p.m.By Wednesday morning, a makeshift memorial was set up outside the Triple S Food Mart. A vigil was scheduled to be held there at 6 p.m.