The protest, organized on Facebook, called for a gathering at 13th and Market streets to demand justice in the shooting of 37-year-old Sterling, who was confronted by police after he allegedly threatened a man with a gun outside of a convenience store.
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Tawandra Carr, who said she was best friends with Alton Sterling, is comforted as people gather outside the Triple S convenience store in Baton Rouge, La., Wednesday, July 6, 2016. Following an eruption of cheers, people sang along and swayed to gospel music playing in the background.
“I’m not angry enough to curse the police out”, she told a crowd outside the convenience store where white officers pinned Sterling, a black man, to the ground and shot him to death. Both officers, four-year veteran Blane Salamoni and three-year officer Howie Lake II, have been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice. Alton Sterling, 37, was shot and killed by Baton Rouge police outside the store where he was selling CDs. Her son, Cameron, 15, broke down in tears and was led away sobbing as his mother spoke. He expressed hope that once the community sees that the shooting is “going to be investigated impartially, professionally and thoroughly” by the Justice Department, “the tensions will ease”.
Baton Rouge Police Chief Carl Dabadie Jr. said that Sterling was armed.
“Graphic cell phone video of the Tuesday morning shooting spread through social media, fueling outrage over Sterling’s death and drawing national attention to the incident”.
The man who owned the store where Sterling was killed said he had been selling CDs for years outside his store and never created any problems. Then someone yelled, “He’s got a gun!”.
She described Sterling as “a man who simply tried to earn a living to take care of his children”.
In announcing the Justice Department investigation, the governor was accompanied by black Democrats from Baton Rouge who praised him and others for quickly asking the federal government to get involved. But, he said, “I believe things can change for the better”.
Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton said incidents like this one undermine trust between police and the communities they serve.
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Durdin said his son-in-law, a third-generation officer, loves being a policeman and wants to become a detective.
