The dying black man, his empty hands flailing and blood pouring from his chest, held no weapon of any kind when pinned down and fatally shot by two white Baton Rouge cops.
A revealing video, distributed by a storeowner who witnessed the killing, showed one of the officers slipping something out of Alton Sterling’s pants after five gunshots were fired.
Sterling, his eyes rolling back in his head, slowly waved a twitching arm across his body as blood began pooling on his chest.
“F–k!” screams one of the cops before the other removes the object from the 37-year-old man’s right pants pocket. An eyewitness said flatly that a gun was pulled from the body.
“While he was laying there dying, the cop went inside his pocket to pull the gun out,” said Triple S Food Mart owner Adbullah Muflahi, a friend of the victim. “His hand was not in his pocket, nor did he have the gun in his hand.”
Cops were called to the food mart about 12:35 a.m. on Tuesday after an anonymous caller said a man selling CDs outside the store pointed a gun at someone, police said.
Even before the second video of the controversial killing surfaced — it was first posted by The Daily Beast — the U.S. Justice Department was named as lead investigator in the racially charged shooting that ignited outrage and protests.
“Stop killing us,” read a demonstrator’s sign at a Wednesday morning news conference held by Sterling’s family and local officials.
“He didn’t deserve that,” said Sandra Sterling, the aunt who raised Alton.
The decision to bring in the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division was hailed by local officials, including Gov. John Bel Edwards, after the shooting in the convenience store parking lot. “I have very serious concerns,” said Edwards. “The video is disturbing to say the least.”
The governor said he spoke with Sterling’s aunt Wednesday by phone to express his condolences.
“There should be no doubt in anybody’s mind that this is going to be investigated impartially and thoroughly,” said Edwards.
The first video, shot on a cell phone by a local community activist, captured the fatal shooting from a different but still damning angle. Though it never showed Sterling’s hands, a lawyer for his family said the 48-second clip clearly showed what happened early Tuesday.
“Mr. Sterling was not reaching for a weapon,” said state Rep. Edmond Jordan, attorney for the Sterlings. “He looks like a man who was actually fighting for his life, a life that ended immediately after — as if he knew what was about to happen.”
The two white officers were identified as Blane Salamoni, on the job four years, and Howie Lake, with three years on the force. Both were placed on paid administrative leave as the investigation continues.
Lake was involved in a previous on-duty shooting in December 2014, when he was one of three officers who fired at a suspect who was wounded but survived, according to The Times-Picayune newspaper.
The two cops, interviewed after the fatal shooting, defended their use of lethal force, said East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore.
“The officers believe they were completely justified,” Moore said.
A Washington Post database shows that 505 people nationwide have been shot and killed by police this year, including 122 black people. By this time last year, there were 494 fatal police shootings, with 129 black people killed.
The Sterling family, including a cousin who claimed local police had harassed their relative in the past, saw no justification for the shooting.
Sandra Sterling thanked the local community activist who videotaped the lethal confrontation, saying he prevented a police coverup.
“We never would have known what really happened,” Sterling said.
A trembling Quinyetta McMillon, mother of Sterling’s 15-year-old son, read a sad recollection of the victim outside City Hall as the teen stood with an arm wrapped around her.
But the heartbroken Cameron Sterling — who had earlier seen the video of his father’s final violent moments alive — broke down in tears as his mother spoke.
“I want Daddy,” the teen wailed through sobs. “I want Daddy.”
McMillon recalled the bond between Sterling and his five children.
“The individuals involved in his murder took away a man with children who depended on their daddy on a daily basis,” she said.
A GoFundMe page set up by actress Issa Rae as a scholarship fund for Sterling’s children met and exceeded its $200,000 goal within nine hours.
On Tuesday, more than 100 demonstrators shouting, “No justice, no peace,” jammed the street outside the store where Sterling was fatally shot, setting off fireworks and blocking an intersection to protest his death.
Another protest was slated for Wednesday night outside the store.
The Baton Rouge police will provide the Justice Department with store surveillance video, along with dashcam and body-cam video.
But they warned that the officers involved were wearing body cameras that apparently came loose during the confrontation and were unhelpful. The cameras had dislodged in the past, denying investigators potentially key pieces of evidence.
Baton Rouge Police Chief Carl Dabadie, speaking at a news conference after a local leader called for his dismissal, agreed with the decision to bring in the feds.
“It is our role and our mission to make sure that a thorough, just and transparent investigation be conducted,” said the chief, adding that he had no intention of resigning.
“Like you, there is a lot we do not understand,” he said. “And like you, I am demanding answers.”
With Edgar Sandoval in Baton Rouge, La.
