In the early morning hours of July 5, 2016, Alton Bertrell Sterling, a 37-year-old Black man, was selling CDs outside the Triple S Food Mart in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Police were dispatched to the convenience store after receiving a report that a man matching Sterling's description had threatened someone with a gun. What transpired next was a fatal encounter that was captured on video by multiple bystanders, sparking widespread outrage and protests.
Two white Baton Rouge Police
Department officers, Blane Salamoni and Howie Lake II, arrived at the scene and an altercation with Sterling ensued. The officers tasered Sterling and wrestled him to the pavement. During the struggle, one of the officers was heard shouting that Sterling had a gun. Seconds later, shots were fired. Officer Salamoni shot Sterling six times, striking him in the chest and back. An autopsy later confirmed that Sterling died from multiple gunshot wounds. A loaded. 38 caliber revolver was removed from Sterling's pocket by the officers after the shooting.
The shooting immediately led to protests in Baton Rouge and calls for a civil rights investigation. Demonstrators chanted 'no justice, no peace' and blocked intersections. The U.S. Department of Justice launched an investigation into the shooting, but in May 2017, they announced that they would not be filing federal criminal charges against the officers involved. The federal investigation found insufficient evidence to prove that the officers willfully deprived Sterling of his civil rights. Subsequently, in March 2018, Louisiana's Attorney General, Jeff Landry, also announced that his office would not bring criminal charges against the two officers, stating that they acted in a 'reasonable and justifiable manner'.
Following the state's decision, the Baton Rouge Police Department took disciplinary action against the officers. Officer Salamoni was fired for violating the department's use-of-force policies, and Officer Lake was suspended for three days for losing his temper. Salamoni later appealed his termination and in a settlement with the city, was allowed to retroactively resign. In February 2021, the East Baton Rouge Metro Council approved a $4.5 million settlement for Sterling's family to resolve a wrongful death lawsuit they had filed. The lawsuit alleged that the shooting was a result of a pattern of racist behavior and excessive force by the Baton Rouge police.
