The Police Killing of Alton Sterling

Posted on July 6, 2016 by SouthernGirl2

Alton SterlingWarning. Very Disturbing.

The family of a black man shot multiple times by police during a confrontation at a Louisiana convenience store called for an independent investigation and officials to resign in the wake of cellphone video showing the chilling incident.

Graphic footage circulating online filmed by a witness early Tuesday appears to show Alton Sterling, 37, being shot as two cops pin him to the ground.

His death has sparked protests against police brutality in Baton Rouge, and family members and the local NAACP branch called for Louisiana State Police to take over the review from the Baton Rouge Police Department.

“I’m calling on anybody in this city with a backbone to go arrest those two officers,” Mike McClanahan, of the local NAACP, said at a news conference Wednesday.

The Baton Rouge Police Department said uniformed officers responded to a call early Tuesday about a black male in a red shirt who was selling CDs and had reportedly threatened the caller with a gun.

Officers “made contact” with Sterling in the parking lot of the Triple S Food Mart and an altercation ensued, police said in a statement.

“Sterling was shot during the altercation and died at the scene,” the statement said.

Two officers have been placed on administration leave “per standard procedure,” it added, saying the investigation was ongoing.

Sterling died from multiple gunshot wounds to the chest and back, according to East Baton Rouge Coroner Dr. William Clark. He would not immediately confirm reports that Sterling was shot seven times.

About SouthernGirl2

A Native Texan who adores baby kittens, loves horses, rodeos, pomegranates, & collect Eagles. Enjoys politics, games shows, & dancing to all types of music. Loves discussing and learning about different cultures. A Phi Theta Kappa lifetime member with a passion for Social & Civil Justice.
This entry was posted in Black Lives Matter, Criminal Justice, Current Events, Department of Justice, Domestic Terrorism, Institutional Racism, Jim Crow laws, JusticeForAltonSterling, Lynching, Murder, News, Open Thread, Police bruality, Police violence, Racial Bias, Racial Profiling, Racism, White Supremacy and tagged , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

139 Responses to The Police Killing of Alton Sterling

  1. yahtzeebutterfly says:
    July 11, 2016 at 12:19 pm

    Exactly, Ametia. So cruel.

    https://twitter.com/ShaunKing/status/752549198806016000

  2. Ametia says:
    July 11, 2016 at 12:19 pm
  3. Ametia says:
    July 11, 2016 at 12:15 pm
  4. Ametia says:
    July 11, 2016 at 12:14 pm

    It’s maddening. In short: Let us keep killing you, and let us know you’re ok with it.

  13. Liza says:
    July 7, 2016 at 7:25 pm

    Yep. What I’m always saying about cop training for these racist, violent m-f-ers.

  19. rikyrah says:
    July 7, 2016 at 10:24 am

    HE.DID.NOT.HAVE.A.GUN.IN.HIS.HANDS.

    So, where’s the threat from Mr. Sterling?

    The threat that warranted his execution.

  22. SouthernGirl2 says:
    July 7, 2016 at 9:27 am

    Thanks, Rikyrah. I was too shook to do it.

  23. rikyrah says:
    July 7, 2016 at 8:03 am

    SG2,
    I worked my phone and I posted it.

  24. rikyrah says:
    July 7, 2016 at 6:59 am

    SG2,
    I attempted to write a post from my phone. Please check the drafts and see if it is there. If it looks complete, please post.

  25. rikyrah says:
    July 7, 2016 at 6:30 am

    SG2,
    I am sorry . I could not sleep last night after hearing about this.

  27. SouthernGirl2 says:
    July 7, 2016 at 1:02 am

    RIKYRAH, would you put up the thread for Falcon Heights Shooting? I’m too shook. I watch it live with the guy slumped over in the car bleeding heavily.

  29. yahtzeebutterfly says:
    July 7, 2016 at 12:20 am

    “Valerie Castile tells WCCO that her son was a cafeteria supervisor at J.J. Hill Montessori School in St. Paul. He would have turned 33 on Friday.”

    http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2016/07/06/police-officer-involved-shooting-in-falcon-heights/

  31. yahtzeebutterfly says:
    July 7, 2016 at 12:15 am

    And, the policeman shot when there was a child in the car!

    https://twitter.com/DeejayCombs/status/750919707918790656

    https://twitter.com/kordecisions/status/750920410674372608

  32. yahtzeebutterfly says:
    July 7, 2016 at 12:10 am

    Two precious lives…taken… stolen… within 24 hours

    Rikyrah, my heart is in pain and turmoil… such injustice… such horror… I am praying

    What will it take for our nation to understand that Black families face the potential of such terrible random killings??! It could come any time… everyone hoping and praying it won’t happen to them or their loved ones….. so wrong so unfair so dangerous so frightening!

  33. rikyrah says:
    July 7, 2016 at 12:02 am

    I just came to post this 😢😢😢
    Once again, those gun laws don’t seem to apply for Black people 😠😠😠😠

  34. yahtzeebutterfly says:
    July 6, 2016 at 11:45 pm

    My heart is breaking for Philando. Aching… so horrific.

    Heart wrenching. Too much. Grieving for his family and loved ones.

    My heart goes out to them. They are in my prayers. Oh Lord, oh my Lord.

  36. yahtzeebutterfly says:
    July 6, 2016 at 11:35 pm

    This is too much. My heart aches for Lavisha Reynolds who with amazing controlled calm live streamed on her Facebook page the aftermath of a police officer’s shooting of her boyfriend.

    https://youtu.be/6WkTURRuDZ0&rel=0

    https://twitter.com/jeoncrack/status/750907576481710092

    My heart cries for Lavisha and her boyfriend. So frightening.

  43. rikyrah says:
    July 6, 2016 at 8:43 pm

    HE WASN’T EVEN THE PERSON…

    SO, HE LOST HIS LIFE OVER WHAT EXACTLY?

    https://twitter.com/lsarsour/status/750831198075838464?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

  45. yahtzeebutterfly says:
    July 6, 2016 at 8:24 pm

    Painting of Alton completed:

    https://twitter.com/AshleySemlerBBC/status/750862329210761216

  50. yahtzeebutterfly says:
    July 6, 2016 at 7:40 pm

    I am in deep pain for Alton’s family. It is unimaginable how much pain they are going through, how much pain the Black community in Baton Rouge is experiencing, and how much pain our fellow Black citizens are feeling.

    How can our society go on “with business as usual” , “politics as usual” , and so many politicians and office holders being “silent as usual” ?!

    I am in shock and numbing aching after watching the horrific second video. Alton Sterling deserves justice. Oh, precious Lord take his hand and enfold him with Your Love and Comfort forever and ever.

    https://twitter.com/alrisa/status/750808807542890496

  52. SouthernGirl2 says:
    July 6, 2016 at 6:45 pm

    Police had #AltonSterling pinned to the ground & then shot him multiple times at close range. ARREST Officers Blane Salamoni and Howie Lake

  53. SouthernGirl2 says:
    July 6, 2016 at 6:23 pm

    Yes ma’am!

  57. rikyrah says:
    July 6, 2016 at 6:08 pm

    Negroes
    Sweet and docile,
    Meek, humble, and kind:
    Beware the day
    They change their mind

    -Langston Hughes

  67. rikyrah says:
    July 6, 2016 at 5:25 pm

    Skittles. Toys. Cigarettes. Hoodies. CDs. Playing in the park. Being in police custody.

    State-sponsored murder. #AltonSterling

    — nora rahimian (@norarahimian) July 6, 2016

  68. rikyrah says:
    July 6, 2016 at 5:25 pm

    where’s the phone call to dispatch to research if he had a legal permit?

  69. rikyrah says:
    July 6, 2016 at 5:24 pm

    Funny how these ‘Open Carry’ laws don’t seem to extend to Black people….isn’t it.

    sigh…..

    and, people want to whine about Jesse Williams speech. he told THE TRUTH.

  72. rikyrah says:
    July 6, 2016 at 5:21 pm

    Louisiana has one of those ‘ Blue Lives Matter’, which is why the Governor called in the Feds immediately.

  75. SouthernGirl2 says:
    July 6, 2016 at 4:19 pm

    BATON ROUGE, Louisiana — New cellphone video provided to The Daily Beast shows Alton Sterling was not holding a gun in his hand when police shot and killed him.

    Sterling’s death at the hands of two white officers has triggered protests in Baton Rouge and unleashed a national outcry, leading to calls by both the NAACP and members of Congress for a federal investigation, which the Justice Department has begun.

    On Tuesday night, a 911 caller said a man at the store was threatening patrons with a gun. Officers Blane Salamoni and Howie Lake responded to the call from the Triple S Food Mart and encountered Sterling in the parking lot. Store owner Abduallah Muflahi told The Daily Beast that Sterling was not the person who was causing trouble and was a welcome presence at the store for years where he sold CDs from the parking lot.

    Yet after tackling Sterling and bringing him to the ground, one of the officers yelled, “He’s got a gun!”

    The new video, provided by Muflahi, does not appear to support the claim that Sterling’s supposed gun represented an active threat to the officers. Instead, it shows Sterling being repeatedly shot after he was pinned on the ground.

    The Daily Beast is publishing this video in its entirety—despite its graphic nature—because it shows what happened before, during, and after the controversial killing of Sterling. A previous video only showed him being tackled and the first of at least four gunshots.

    Although Sterling was pinned down, one of the officers fired two gunshots into Sterling’s chest. A few seconds later, at least three more shots were fired. One officer is seen removing an object—it’s unclear what, exactly—from Sterling’s right pants pocket.

    Sterling was still alive at this moment, moving his left arm and hand towards his face. By the time paramedics arrived, he was dead.

    Police said at a Wednesday press conference they would not confirm or deny a weapon was recovered from Sterling.

    The officers have been placed on paid administrative leave while the shooting is investigated. District Attorney Hillar C. Moore III told reporters, “The officers feel they were completely justified.”

    http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/07/06/new-video-shows-alton-sterling-was-not-holding-a-gun-when-baton-rogue-police-killed-him.html?via=twitter_page

  76. Ametia says:
    July 6, 2016 at 4:10 pm

    Good QUESTION!

  78. rikyrah says:
    July 6, 2016 at 3:36 pm

    WHERE is the ORIGINAL 911 CALL?

  79. Ametia says:
    July 6, 2016 at 3:31 pm

    It’s like throwing a drowning man to attach an anchor, while shouting, ‘I want to save you from drowning!”

    SO ABSOLUTELY INSANE.

  82. SouthernGirl2 says:
    July 6, 2016 at 2:41 pm

    The GOVERNMENT has a DUTY to protect it’s citizens. Are black people not citizens of this country? Police are terrorizing black communities.

  83. SouthernGirl2 says:
    July 6, 2016 at 2:35 pm

    TheJusticeDept, No law can change racist hearts. Don’t send racist cops into our communities who view black bodies as rabid dogs. #AltonSterling

  85. yahtzeebutterfly says:
    July 6, 2016 at 1:32 pm

    Powerful, heartfelt article:

    “Stop asking African-Americans to be calm in the face of police brutality and racial terror”

    http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/king-stop-african-americans-calm-article-1.2701229

  86. yahtzeebutterfly says:
    July 6, 2016 at 1:21 pm

    It is devastating to see Alton’s son agony and grief over losing his dad.

    …so many hearts exhausted with pain across the country.

    This injustice has to stop.

    Why are there so many hearts of stone filled with false fear, lies, hate, and racism? When will they ever learn empathy, kindness, caring. When will they realize that a patriot is one who demands justice and equality and freedom for all?

    The silence has to end.

    https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/60/9d/44/609d440b71594d863912a7a057977716.jpg

  87. rikyrah says:
    July 6, 2016 at 1:21 pm

    Isn’t Louisiana a conceal and carry state, and if so, where’s the phone call to dispatch to research if he had a legal permit?

  91. SouthernGirl2 says:
    July 6, 2016 at 12:20 pm

    And how long will the Justice Department take to tell us there is “insufficient evidence” to prosecute these criminal killer cops? 2yrs, 3yrs? FOH #DOJ

    https://twitter.com/ReutersUS/status/750713236924821504

  92. Liza says:
    July 6, 2016 at 11:50 am

    This is why body cameras are not the answer that so many politicians and others like to think. They are always going to be “not working” or “have fallen off” when someone is murdered or maimed or assaulted by a cop. And, of course, the cops are going to be looking for surveillance cameras and confiscating footage.

    Okay, AG Loretta Lynch, tell us again about all that cop training that is going to fix this.

  93. Ametia says:
    July 6, 2016 at 11:44 am

    Lizz Brown UNPACKING it, as only she can do.

  94. Ametia says:
    July 6, 2016 at 11:42 am
  95. Ametia says:
    July 6, 2016 at 11:39 am

    Yep, they’re popping caps off brew and partying like it’s 1950!

  96. Ametia says:
    July 6, 2016 at 11:37 am

    WHITE CRIMINAL STILL STANDING

  97. Ametia says:
    July 6, 2016 at 11:35 am

    But it’s not about race or anything like that, right?

  99. Liza says:
    July 6, 2016 at 11:30 am

    This is the crisis from hell, and where is it reported except on the internet and social media?

  101. Liza says:
    July 6, 2016 at 11:23 am

    OMG!!

    Police shootings are the new lynchings, and viral videos are the new lynching party for sadistic white folks. #AltonSterling #BatonRouge— D (@Delo_Taylor) July 6, 2016

    //platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

  102. rikyrah says:
    July 6, 2016 at 11:19 am

    I can’t watch the video. He was murdered. He was executed.

  103. yahtzeebutterfly says:
    July 6, 2016 at 11:19 am

    “Isn’t LA an OPEN & CARRY state?”

    https://twitter.com/cierradaniee/status/750555662707466240

  105. Ametia says:
    July 6, 2016 at 11:15 am

    It’s heart-rending, beyond maddening…

  106. Ametia says:
    July 6, 2016 at 11:14 am

    FUCK Fifa! this is the thing, Liza; these agencies, politicians, and media are trying to dictate to us what we should be concerned about.

    NOT TODAY, NOT EVER, MOFOS!

  107. Ametia says:
    July 6, 2016 at 11:11 am

    Abdullah Muflahi, the shop’s owner, said he witnessed the event and offered his account to various local outlets.

    “[Police] were really aggressive with him from the start,” Muflahi told the Advocate.

    Muflahi said that police shot Sterling with a stun gun — as the video suggested — but that the suspect remained standing. Police then tackled him and pinned him down. One yelled “gun,” then one fired four to six shots into Sterling.

    Muflahi told the Advocate, “His hand was nowhere [near] his pocket,” and that Sterling was not holding a weapon.

    Then, Muflahi said that the officer who fired the shots began cursing and that both seemed to be “freaking out.”

    Finally, the store owner said he heard one of the officers say, “Just leave him.”

    Muflahi said he saw police retrieve a gun from Sterling’s pocket after the shooting.

    “God bless his soul. It could’ve, it could have, it could have been handled differently

    Isn’t LA an OPEN & CARRY state?

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/07/06/video-captures-white-baton-rouge-police-officer-fatally-shooting-black-man-sparking-outrage/

  108. yahtzeebutterfly says:
    July 6, 2016 at 11:10 am

    My heart grieves for Alton’s family. So heartbreaking, it’s just so heartbreaking to witness their grieve … Alton’s son’s uncontrollable tears and pain.

    I will reach out with all of my ability to the White community to educate them on the horrific inequality that exists a let them know that each of them have the power to speak up and demand change.

    I will not rest. I will stay energized and keep pushing for change.

    Until the killing of Black men, Black mothers’ sons
    Is as important as
    The killing of White men, White mothers’ sons
    We who believe in freedom cannot rest

    https://twitter.com/MsPackyetti/status/750669259416543233

    https://twitter.com/roseperson/status/616249215539396608

  109. Liza says:
    July 6, 2016 at 11:10 am

    Yeah, FIFA. I don’t think that FIFA is in the top million of things I care about.

  111. Ametia says:
    July 6, 2016 at 11:05 am
  112. Ametia says:
    July 6, 2016 at 11:04 am

    Yes; I am including these Mofos in the mix.

    BLACK LIVES MATTER!!!!!!!!!

  113. Ametia says:
    July 6, 2016 at 11:03 am

    Now America is finding it a whole lot easier to KILL US, than to hear our CONTINUAL FIGHT for HUMAN/CIVIL RIGHTS.

  114. Ametia says:
    July 6, 2016 at 11:01 am

    X’S 1000!

  115. Ametia says:
    July 6, 2016 at 11:00 am

    The DOJ is too busy letting Hillary Clinton SKATE with those classified emails she lied about and bringing FIFA president to justice!

  116. SouthernGirl2 says:
    July 6, 2016 at 11:00 am

    Keep those cameras on, folks. If you have a facebook account and you see an altercation, you can go Facebook Live. Record!

  119. Liza says:
    July 6, 2016 at 10:56 am

    Yes. Another execution.

  122. Liza says:
    July 6, 2016 at 10:54 am

    Yeah, me too. And this is forever, it cannot be undone, it cannot be made right for that child. It is such a terrible, helpless feeling we have as observers every time we witness more and more of this horror. It has a cumulative effect, I am convinced of that.

    These state sanctioned lynchings have very long tentacles. They bring innocent lives to an abrupt and brutal end, they devastate families, and eventually they destroy us too, they destroy anyone who cares.

  124. Ametia says:
    July 6, 2016 at 10:52 am

    Lord have MERCY! Beautiful family. *TEARS*

  125. Ametia says:
    July 6, 2016 at 10:50 am

    ONE WORD: Execution

  126. Liza says:
    July 6, 2016 at 10:41 am

    Another state sanctioned lynching, another devastated black family, more children to grow up without a dad, more friends to recall yet another brutal and gruesome death of someone they cared about, and another epic failure for “equality” before the law.

  127. SouthernGirl2 says:
    July 6, 2016 at 10:26 am

    Lord Have Mercy! Hearing #AltonSterling’s15 year old son break down crying for his daddy ripped my heart to pieces. #BlackPain

    https://twitter.com/CNN/status/750691949674455040

  132. SouthernGirl2 says:
    July 6, 2016 at 9:48 am

    Baton Rouge police hasn’t made a statement about the killing of #AltonSterling. They’re like we don’t have to talk to you about nothing.

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