Police Brutality –
Alton Sterling Death Sparks Outcry
UPDATE: On Wednesday was Alton Sterling. On Thursday, it was Philando Castile. Videos below.
Here we go again. The shooting death of yet another black man at the hands of police. This time it’s Alton Sterling in Louisiana.
Police Brutality
Alton Sterling was a 37-year-old black man who was innocently selling homemade CDs outside a Baton Rouge convenience store to support his family. Soon after, video footage shows a Baton Rouge police officer accosting Alton Sterling, then inexplicably shooting him in the chest at point-blank range.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards has called the video “disturbing to say the least.” He has since requested the U.S. Department of Justice to conduct a civil rights investigation into the shooting, adding that he will demand the probe be done “thoroughly, impartially, and professionally.” The governor and state officials hope their swift action in requesting an immediate federal review will prevent violent protests similar to what happened in Ferguson, MO a few years ago.
“Absolutely, we did not want another Ferguson,” East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore said Wednesday. “Baton Rouge is not Ferguson; we have a completely different history.”
According to Baton Rouge Police Chief Carl Dabadie, police were summoned to the convenience store after an anonymous caller complained of a man fitting Sterling’s description threatening them with a handgun. Police are unclear if Alton Sterling was actually the man who was reported, however the video tape does not show him brandishing a weapon or appearing at all threatening toward police.
The 48-second cellphone video captured by a bystander outside the store showed 28-year-old Officer Blane Salamoni and 29-year-old Officer Howie Lake II shouting, “Get on the ground! Get on the ground!” before engaging in a scuffle with Sterling. At one point an officer yelled, “He’s got a gun! Gun.” A moment later, the other officer drew his weapon and shot Sterling to death. Both police officers have since been put on administrative leave pending further investigation.
Although the cell phone video doesn’t show all the shots being fired, store owner Abdullah Muflahi said he witnessed 4 to 6 shots.
“Like you, there is a lot that we do not understand,” Police Chief Dabadie told reporters. “And at this point, like you, I am demanding answers.”
WARNING: GRAPHIC VIDEO:
FOOTAGE OF PHILANDO CASTILE SHOOTING IN MINNESOTA.
THANK YOU for sharing this DJ. This man was murdered in cold blood and his story needs to be told. If they don't throw these two cops under the jail there is going to be hell to pay.