Warning. 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.
"I want my daddy": #AltonSterling’s 15-year-old son breaks down in tears https://t.co/TVgR3ilnuJ https://t.co/wx1HWDoMs9
— CNN (@CNN) July 6, 2016
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.
https://twitter.com/NYDailyNews/status/752546182447173632
It’s maddening. In short: Let us keep killing you, and let us know you’re ok with it.
Exactly, Ametia. So cruel.
https://twitter.com/ShaunKing/status/752549198806016000
BREAKING NEWS
https://twitter.com/3ChicsPolitico/status/752544158569508864
https://twitter.com/JadeDelValle/status/751158953858306048
https://twitter.com/twegss/status/751942528878993408
https://twitter.com/MsPackyetti/status/751939193383768065
https://twitter.com/GeauxGabby/status/751889470568271872
https://twitter.com/ruskygal/status/751882833254244352
https://twitter.com/brownblaze/status/751656882654179329
https://youtu.be/GK2jn3vqdRk
https://twitter.com/MsPackyetti/status/750669259416543233?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/MacAndCheeks/status/751152405740449792?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Yep. What I’m always saying about cop training for these racist, violent m-f-ers.
https://twitter.com/USATODAY/status/751052245832261632
https://twitter.com/Ourtraceyboo/status/751079886819848192
https://twitter.com/keithboykin/status/751063306832576512
https://twitter.com/_Achie_/status/750986895744700416
HE.DID.NOT.HAVE.A.GUN.IN.HIS.HANDS.
So, where’s the threat from Mr. Sterling?
The threat that warranted his execution.
SG2,
I worked my phone and I posted it.
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.
Thanks, Rikyrah. I was too shook to do it.
https://twitter.com/WesleyLowery/status/750926219827408898
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.
SG2,
I am sorry . I could not sleep last night after hearing about this.
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.
https://twitter.com/jennifermayerle/status/750908509139693572
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.
I just came to post this 😢😢😢
Once again, those gun laws don’t seem to apply for Black people 😠😠😠😠
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!
And, the policeman shot when there was a child in the car!
https://twitter.com/DeejayCombs/status/750919707918790656
https://twitter.com/kordecisions/status/750920410674372608
https://twitter.com/jennifermayerle/status/750914906950623232
http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2016/07/06/police-officer-involved-shooting-in-falcon-heights/
https://twitter.com/ShaunKing/status/750909041430368256
https://twitter.com/Fusion/status/750557801575886848
https://twitter.com/BrynStole/status/750869031620644864
https://twitter.com/BrynStole/status/750859369470758914
https://twitter.com/DetGolfWife_/status/750896885561303040
HE WASN’T EVEN THE PERSON…
SO, HE LOST HIS LIFE OVER WHAT EXACTLY?
https://twitter.com/lsarsour/status/750831198075838464?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/befernee/status/750584394608414720?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/BernieSanders/status/750770008154714113
https://twitter.com/ClintSmithIII/status/750825854779871232
https://twitter.com/3ChicsPolitico/status/750855483339055104
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
https://twitter.com/alrisa/status/750827817001029632
Painting of Alton completed:
https://twitter.com/AshleySemlerBBC/status/750862329210761216
https://twitter.com/rayxscott/status/750887798396387328
https://twitter.com/BreeNewsome/status/750748869751926784
Police had #AltonSterling pinned to the ground & then shot him multiple times at close range. ARREST Officers Blane Salamoni and Howie Lake
https://twitter.com/3ChicsPolitico/status/750831360831467520
https://twitter.com/justinjm1/status/750828410516205572?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/Kaepernick7/status/750695632009134080?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Negroes
Sweet and docile,
Meek, humble, and kind:
Beware the day
They change their mind
-Langston Hughes
Yes ma’am!
https://twitter.com/MichaelSkolnik/status/750535985994268672
https://twitter.com/mic/status/750796340288970752
https://twitter.com/NerdyWonka/status/750674708115230720?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/docrocktex26/status/586553816109056000?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/docrocktex26/status/586550767319851010?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/iJesseWilliams/status/750705238521188352?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/iJesseWilliams/status/750706994735034369?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/CjayyTaughtHer/status/750729567380185088?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/Fusion/status/750558768400850944?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/MANUELCAV/status/750633309776994304?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/3ChicsPolitico/status/750814813811380224
Skittles. Toys. Cigarettes. Hoodies. CDs. Playing in the park. Being in police custody.
State-sponsored murder. #AltonSterling
— nora rahimian (@norarahimian) July 6, 2016
where’s the phone call to dispatch to research if he had a legal permit?
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.
https://twitter.com/RawStory/status/750771180278284288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/newsone/status/750693983395909632?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Louisiana has one of those ‘ Blue Lives Matter’, which is why the Governor called in the Feds immediately.
https://twitter.com/3ChicsPolitico/status/750811274494156800
https://twitter.com/mayalau/status/750799192776249344
https://twitter.com/mayalau/status/750799408078344192
https://twitter.com/mayalau/status/750799672743043072
https://twitter.com/mayalau/status/750800170116276224
https://twitter.com/mayalau/status/750800803250573312
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
NEW VIDEO, FOLKS! SO DISTURBING!
https://twitter.com/3ChicsPolitico/status/750789064136151040
WHERE is the ORIGINAL 911 CALL?
Good QUESTION!
Well, well, well…
https://twitter.com/ShaunKing/status/750770380554407936
https://www.instagram.com/p/BHiCeRFA0ht/
The GOVERNMENT has a DUTY to protect it’s citizens. Are black people not citizens of this country? Police are terrorizing black communities.
TheJusticeDept, No law can change racist hearts. Don’t send racist cops into our communities who view black bodies as rabid dogs. #AltonSterling
https://twitter.com/kingsleyyy/status/750759055124074496
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
It’s like throwing a drowning man to attach an anchor, while shouting, ‘I want to save you from drowning!”
SO ABSOLUTELY INSANE.
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?
https://twitter.com/HardysCloset/status/750729244917968896
https://twitter.com/Blackstreet_Ent/status/750742126800044032
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
https://twitter.com/WyzeChef/status/750662359375552513
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
Lizz Brown UNPACKING it, as only she can do.
But it’s not about race or anything like that, right?
WHITE CRIMINAL STILL STANDING
https://twitter.com/deray/status/750588778159439873
OMG!!
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Yep, they’re popping caps off brew and partying like it’s 1950!
I can’t watch the video. He was murdered. He was executed.
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/
https://twitter.com/cierradaniee/status/750555662707466240
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
https://twitter.com/bassem_masri/status/750721662362918912
Now America is finding it a whole lot easier to KILL US, than to hear our CONTINUAL FIGHT for HUMAN/CIVIL RIGHTS.
The DOJ is too busy letting Hillary Clinton SKATE with those classified emails she lied about and bringing FIFA president to justice!
Yes; I am including these Mofos in the mix.
BLACK LIVES MATTER!!!!!!!!!
Yeah, FIFA. I don’t think that FIFA is in the top million of things I care about.
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!
This is the crisis from hell, and where is it reported except on the internet and social media?
Keep those cameras on, folks. If you have a facebook account and you see an altercation, you can go Facebook Live. Record!
https://twitter.com/mattdpearce/status/750718082994221056
https://twitter.com/rjoseph7777/status/750718988368351232
https://twitter.com/ShaunKing/status/750526598110117889
https://twitter.com/ShaunKing/status/750574315159126017
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.
https://twitter.com/lizzzbrown/status/750719006252773376
https://twitter.com/OfficialAmandla/status/750591758627704832
https://twitter.com/Delo_Taylor/status/750718846424719360
X’S 1000!
ONE WORD: Execution
Yes. Another execution.
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
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.
It’s heart-rending, beyond maddening…
https://twitter.com/norarahimian/status/750708607172288512
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.
https://twitter.com/digihttpster/status/750702967154769920
https://twitter.com/mrmedina/status/750557944035602436
https://twitter.com/CNNnewsroom/status/750683097377669120
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.
https://twitter.com/DarlingEbony/status/750553203612278784
https://twitter.com/ronkelawal/status/750615075036225536
Lord have MERCY! Beautiful family. *TEARS*
https://twitter.com/samwhiteout/status/750550478036078593
https://twitter.com/NBCBLK/status/750687026110926848
https://twitter.com/CNNnewsroom/status/750683097377669120
https://twitter.com/GoddessKerriLyn/status/750667287934361601
https://twitter.com/AJENews/status/750668485894832128