Richard Carbo said Thursday that the USA attorney’s office in Baton Rouge is conducting “all aspects of the investigation”.
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The Justice Department will look into whether the officers willfully violated Sterling’s civil rights through the use of unreasonable or excessive force. The officers were cleared in all of them.
The deaths of Sterling and Castile were the latest in a string of incidents in recent years involving police treatment of black men and boys in cities including Baltimore, Chicago, New York and Cleveland.
Video recorded on the bystander’s cell phone shows an officer confronting Sterling and ordering him to the ground. Each had two prior “use of force” complaints.
Lake was involved in a police shooting in December 2014.
Salamoni’s complaints involved punching a black man on August 5, 2015, when he tried to grab the officer’s stun gun and a vehicle pursuit on June 17, 2015, in which a black man was injured when he crashed into a retaining wall. Castile also was black.
Separately, Salamoni was issued a letter of caution for his involvement in a “preventable crash” on June 13, 2012.
The paper reported that Salamoni has been with the Baton Rouge Police force for four years, and is a third-generation cop.
“When officers arrived, Sterling was armed and the altercation ensued that resulted in the loss of his life”, Dabadie said.
Attorneys for McMillon, the mother of Sterling’s son, are demanding “transparency”.
“It’s everything adding up”, said Damond Laurance, 29, a welder.
Officers Lake and Salamoni have been put on administrative leave, police said. He says the USA has a “serious problem”.
“Ultimately the family wants to see justice”. He says they reflect racial disparities that persist “year after year”.
“Just five minutes before (the shooting)”, Muflahi said, “he walked into the store getting something to drink, joking around, (and we were) calling each other names”.
The Justice Department said on Wednesday it would conduct a civil rights investigation into Sterling’s death.
Obama also says the US must show respect and appreciation for police. The state police will still be involved as they’re called upon to assist in the investigation.
A law enforcement source with knowledge of the investigation told CNN that the officers pulled a gun from Sterling’s body at the scene. She said she spent some time protesting in Ferguson, Mo., after the police shooting of Michael Brown, a black man who was unarmed.
According to a police report, Sterling tried to reach into his pocket when the officer was frisking him, ignored the officer’s commands to keep his hands on a police vehicle and tried to run away, a police report said. The man was wounded by police.
The other complaint happened January 28, 2015.
“He told the news organization, “… we’re making the best decisions to make sure that the situation remains under control here in Baton Rouge …”
White House spokesman Josh Earnest says Obama is following the situations closely.
President Barack Obama used Facebook on Thursday to deliver a poignant, if not topical message concerning America’s law enforcement problem. Moore said Thursday afternoon that the district attorney’s office would not make a move on the case until the federal investigators wrapped up their investigation.
“I have full confidence that this matter will be investigated thoroughly, impartially and professionally”, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said at a conference yesterday.
A vigil will also be held in San Marcos at 8:30 p.m.at Sewell Park.
Sterling was known as the “CD man,” a laid-back guy who would sell tunes and DVDs outside the convenience store where he was shot, according to local media.
The video-recorded killing sparked anger and protests among the black community.
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In a post to his Instagram account the Toronto-born rapper says he was “disheartened, emotional and truly scared” after hearing about the shooting of the 37-year-old black American. The posts have since been removed. He says he doesn’t condone violence, but is exhausted of the lack of punishment for officers in police shootings. On Wednesday night, The Associated Press reports, people gathered in prayer and anger to remember Sterling and protest his death.
