A march was held in Baton Rouge, Louisiana to remember Alton Sterling for his one-year anniversary since his death. Police reportedly arrested some of the protesters and used stun guns and Pepper Spray on them.
Many got arrested
The Baton Rouge Police Department said that three women and four men were arrested during the march. They allegedly tried to break through the barriers that were placed outside the police headquarters. Police told the protesters not to cross the barricades but they did not follow their orders. Those arrested were charged with resisting arrest and entering and remaining after being forbidden.
It was not stated in the report when exactly did police use stun guns and pepper spray against the protesters.
Details of the shooting
Sterling’s death was one of the many police-related killings that stirred outcry and violent protests all over the country. He was shot dead by white policemen last July 5 after a report claimed that a man was selling CDs outside a convenience store and acted violently against an individual. The two officers who were deployed to check the problem out are Howie Lake II and Blane Salamoni. Sterling was accused of using a gun to threaten a man outside the convenience store. After he was shot dead by police, they found a loaded .38 caliber revolver in his front pocket.
The owner of the convenience store, Abdulla Muflahi, said Sterling started carrying the gun after a number of robberies took place in the area involving CD vendors. Muflahi pointed out that Sterling did not cause any trouble when police were called. It was not revealed who called the cops on Sterling.
Per video from witnesses, the two officers tased Sterling a number of times before pinning him down to the ground.
One officer suddenly said that Sterling had a gun and later claimed Sterling was going for the gun. That was when Sterling got shot. Per the autopsy, he died from multiple gunshot wounds to his chest and back. The two officers remain on paid leave, New York Daily News shared.
Officers not charged
The two officers involved in the death of Sterling were not charged, according to a statement released by the Department of Justice just this may.
Louisiana attorney general Jeff Landry said they will open an investigation regarding the shooting once they get their hands on the physical evidence.
Sterling’s five children filed a case against the state for his wrongful death, NBC News reported.
