LA Attorney General to release decision on shooting death of Alton Sterling

No charges filed against officers involved in Alton Sterling’s death

The U.S. Department of Justice announced on May 3, 2017, that its 10-month investigation failed to find any evidence to prove that Salamoni and Lake "willfully" violated Sterling's civil rights.

Speaking at a news conference, Landry said it was "reasonable" to conclude Sterling was under the influence of drugs during the struggle with the officers "and that contributed to his non-compliance".

Veda Washington-Abusaleh, Sterling's aunt, was in tears after meeting with Landry. Sterling complied then but eventually he took his hands off the hood, the Justice Department said. He said he is "always mindful of the human element" in the case beyond his review of the facts and applicable laws. "I know that they may not agree with the decision". A day after Sterling's death prompted outrage and protests, an officer in Minnesota shot and killed Philando Castile, a school cafeteria worker, during a traffic stop, the aftermath of which was streamed live on Facebook. Louisiana's attorney general plans finally to give an update on whether to indict the White police officers who killed Alton Sterling back in July 2016.

Lake said in an announcement that the two policemen followed police procedure in their attempt to arrest Sterling and say they found that Blane Salamoni and Howie Lake were not criminally liable for the shooting.

The shooting came amid increased scrutiny of fatal encounters between police and black men.

Sean Penn lights up cigarettes on 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert'
Did that clear things up? "How do you tell Sean Penn on Ambien, from Sean Penn not on Ambien? I'm on that train with you". When Sean Penn visited the The Late Show with Stephen Colbert he was a little sleepy .

Ways China May Try To Win A Trade War With The US
The dollar dipped to 104.90 yen as investors shifted into the Japanese currency, which is viewed as a "safe haven" from risk. Exchanges in Shanghai and Hong Kong opened down, with benchmark indexes plunging around 3% in midmorning trading.

Facebook committed to ensuring integrity of elections in India: Mark Zuckerberg
But I do think that expecting people to completely understand the ways that their data can be used is somewhat unreasonable. Authorities in both the US and the United Kingdom are investigating both Facebook and Cambridge Analytica.

Two cellphone videos of the shooting quickly spread on social media, leading to nightly protests during which almost 200 people were arrested. The officers' body cameras and a store surveillance camera also recorded the encounter, but those videos have not been released. Landry stated Salamoni then shot Sterling three times and Lake stood and pointed his gun at Sterling. As a convicted felon, Sterling could not legally carry a gun.

Salamoni tackled Sterling and, with Sterling on his back with both officers on top of him, one of the officers appears to yell "He's got a gun!"

Abdullah Muflahi, the owner of the Triple S Food Mart where Sterling died, filed a lawsuit against the police department for holding him custody without reason and illegally confiscating his security system without a warrant. The officers told Sterling to put his hands on the hood of a vehicle and struggled with him when he didn't comply, the Justice Department said. At issue in the investigation was whether Sterling was reaching for the weapon, as officers claimed, when he was shot and killed.

Salamoni and Lake arrived and saw Sterling, who wore a red shirt, standing by a table with a stack of CD's.

Sterling's death in July 2016 came at a fraught moment of racial tumult nationwide amid shootings by and of police officers. That decision caused frustration in Baton Rouge not only for the lack of charges, but also because the news was reported by The Washington Post before federal officials had informed Sterling's family. Their suit alleges the shooting fit a pattern of racist behavior and excessive force by the Baton Rouge police.

Recommended News

We are pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news.
Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper.
Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.