Alton Sterling: US cops pin man to ground, shoots him dead
Two police officers pinned Alton Sterling to the ground, practically “clipping” his hands, and shot him several times. He’s dead.
A 48-second video showing the fatal shooting has sparked outrage Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where the incident took place early Tuesday.
Social media is also up in arms.
Sterling, 37, was selling CDs outside the Triple S Food Mart, at the corner of Fairfields Avenue and North Foster Drive, WAFB-TV reports.
Police officers said someone in the area called to report that an individual had been threatening him with a gun.
GRAPHIC video: How police fatally shot Alton Sterling
https://twitter.com/Crystal1Johnson/status/750507193967845376
A witness to the fatal shooting confirmed that Sterling had a gun on him, The Advocate reported. But the witness said Sterling was not holding it or reaching for his pockets during the incident.
After pinning Sterling to the ground, an officer is heard saying “he’s got a gun!” and “you fucking move, I swear to God!’ before shots are fired.
Footage of the incident posted online didn’t show Sterling made any attempt for his gun before he was shot several time.
Heavy.com describes Alton Sterling’s shooting:
The brief video, which you can watch above, shows the end of the incident. In the video, an officer can be heard yelling “get on the ground,” out of the view of the cell phone camera. As the camera pans up, an officer is seen charging at Alton Sterling, grabbing him and tackling him into the hood of a car and then down to the pavement.
Another officer can then be seen kneeling on Sterling. After a few seconds one of the officers yells, “He’s got a gun!” The officer seen in the video kneeling on Sterling draws his weapon and one of them says, “if you f*cking move, I swear to God!”
One of the officers then says, “Mike, he’s going for the Taser!’
Two shots can then be heard and the bystander drops the cell phone. Three more shots are then fired after a brief pause.
Sterling was pronounced dead at the scene with multiple gunshot wounds found on his back and chest.
His killing has sparked protests in the community. Many say it’s another case of a man shot dead simply because he was black..
