Killing of Alton Sterling

Common card · No. 255129

On July 5, 2016, Alton Sterling, a 37-year-old black man, was shot and killed by two Baton Rouge Police Department officers, Blane Salamoni and Howie Lake II, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States. Police were responding to a report that Sterling was selling CDs and that he had used a gun to threaten a man outside a convenience store. They attempted to arrest Sterling which led to a physical struggle on the ground. As the officers were attempting to control Sterling's arms, they shot and killed him. The officers stated that he was reaching for the loaded handgun in his pants pocket. Seconds after the confrontation had started, Salamoni threatened to shoot Sterling, yelling that he would "shoot [Sterling] in the fucking head" if he moved. The owner of the store where the shooting occurred said that Sterling was "not the one causing trouble" during the earlier situation that led to the police being called. The shooting was recorded by multiple bystanders. The shooting led to protests in...

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