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Shooting of Alton Sterling
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This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The last updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. |
| Time | 12:35 am |
|---|---|
| Date | July 5, 2016 |
| Location | 2112 North Foster Drive, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States |
| Type | Shooting |
| Filmed by | Bystander's cell phone camera |
| Participants | Two Baton Rouge Police Department officers |
| Deaths | Alton Sterling |
While Sterling had registered at the address in July, a probation officer who checked on him in August was told by the center manager that Sterling hadn’t lived there for two weeks.
The DA’s office filed a failure to register as a sex offender charge against Sterling in April.
Sterling’s court record shows he was accused of several crimes dating back to 1996. He’d pleaded guilty to aggravated battery, simple criminal damage to property and unauthorized entry, as well as domestic abuse battery. His longest sentence appeared to come in 2009, when he was sentenced to five years on possessing marijuana with the intent to distribute and illegally carrying a weapon with a controlled dangerous substance.
Contents
Shooting
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 after an anonymous caller reported that a man believed to be Sterling was threatening him and waving or brandishing a handgun while in the process of selling CDs. One officer grabbed Sterling, who was of heavy build, and tackled him to the hood of a silver sedan and then to the ground. Sterling was pinned to the ground, while one officer kneeled on him and pulled Sterling's left arm. The officers shouted "Get on the ground," "He's got a gun!" twice and then "If you fucking move, I swear to God!" One officer was heard on the video saying "Mike, he's going for the Taser!" One officer aimed his gun at Sterling's body and then fired four or five shots, in which one gunshot was shown fired on the bystander's cell phone camera, and the camera was then moved under the car window when the last three or four shots were fired. There was a brief pause between the first and second firing of shots.[3][4] A firearm was later recovered from Sterling's pocket.[5]According to the owner of Triple S Food Mart, Sterling was not holding a gun or reaching for his pockets before he was shot. He also said Sterling was Tasered before he was shot. Police have not verified if these claims were accurate.[5]
East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner William Clark said the initial results of an autopsy performed on July 5 show Sterling died due to a homicide and suffered multiple gunshot wounds to the chest and back.[5]
Aftermath
On the night of July 5, over 100 demonstrators in Baton Rouge shouted “no justice, no peace," set off fireworks and blocked an intersection to protest Sterling's death.[4] Flowers and messages were left at the place of his death. The police cleared a crowd of about 200 people, but the organizers announced that they would regroup in front of City Hall.[6] Several streets were shut down where people prayed and played music. One man told the crowdWe [aren't] running from this. We [will] pray first, but we [will] stand tonight. We [will] stand tomorrow. And we [will] stand as a community.[7]
Response
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.[8]References
- Craven, Julia (July 6, 2016). "Graphic Video Shows Baton Rouge Police Shooting Alton Sterling". Huffington Post. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
We've seen a lot of police brutality these past few years, but seeing the police first tackle and manhandle Alton Sterling, mount him like a UFC fighter, then pull their guns out and shoot him repeatedly at point-blank range, killing him right there in front of his local convenience store where he was known as the "CD Man," was equal parts devastating, infuriating, heartbreaking, maddening and overwhelming.
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