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. Ametia says:
    July 11, 2016 at 12:19 pm
    Reply
  2. Ametia says:
    July 11, 2016 at 12:15 pm
    Reply
  17. rikyrah says:
    July 7, 2016 at 8:03 am

    SG2,
    I worked my phone and I posted it.

    Reply
  18. 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.

    Reply
  20. 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.

    Reply
  21. 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.

    Reply
  24. 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

    Reply
  29. 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

    Reply
  31. 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

    Reply
  35. 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

    Reply
  45. 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

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

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

    Reply
  47. 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.

    Reply
  50. 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.

    Reply
  53. 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

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

    WHERE is the ORIGINAL 911 CALL?

    Reply
  58. 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.

    Reply
  59. 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

    Reply
  61. 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

    Reply
    • 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.

      Reply
  62. 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?

    Reply
  66. 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

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

    Lizz Brown UNPACKING it, as only she can do.

    Reply
  68. Ametia says:
    July 6, 2016 at 11:42 am
    Reply
  69. Ametia says:
    July 6, 2016 at 11:35 am

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

    Reply
  72. 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

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

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

    Reply
  74. 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/

    Reply
  75. 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

    Reply
  77. Ametia says:
    July 6, 2016 at 11:05 am
    Reply
  78. 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.

    Reply
  79. 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!

    Reply
  80. 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!

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

    ONE WORD: Execution

    Reply
  87. 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

    Reply
    • 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.

      Reply
    • Ametia says:
      July 6, 2016 at 11:15 am

      It’s heart-rending, beyond maddening…

      Reply
    • 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.

      Reply
  90. 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.

    Reply

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