Photo courtesy of Twitter
On Tuesday, authorities have decided that the Baton Rouge cops involved in the fatal 2016 shooting of Alton Sterling won’t face any criminal charges. If you remember, there was cell phone video of Sterling being pinned to the ground by two officers for allegedly fitting the description of a man threatening someone with a gun. The cops yell, “He’s got a gun!,” and unfortunately we know all too well how the story ends. In a matter of seconds, the 37-year-old was dead.
BATON ROUGE, LA – JULY 15: Pall bearers touch the casket of Alton Sterling after placing the casket at the internment site at the Mount Pilgrim Benevolent Society Cemetery July 15, 2016 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Sterling was shot July 5 outside a Baton Rouge convenience store in an encounter with police that was caught on video. (Photo by Gerald Herbert-Pool/Getty Images)
Sterling’s death sparked nationwide protests as the incident came the day before a police officer in Minnesota gunned down Philando Castile on Facebook Live. That same week five police officers in Dallas were gunned down by a Black man.
BATON ROUGE, LA -JULY 09: Demonstrators gather after marching at the Louisiana Capitol to protest the shooting of Alton Sterling on July 9, 2016 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Alton Sterling was shot by a police officer in front of the Triple S Food Mart in Baton Rouge on July 5th, leading the Department of Justice to open a civil rights investigation. (Photo by Mark Wallheiser/Getty Images)
In related news, earlier this month the family of Nathanael Pickett was awarded $33.5 million for the 2015 death. The killer? Kyle Woods, a San Bernardino police officer. And remember Walter Scott? His family received a $6.5 million settlement for the death of the 50-year-old father by the hands of South Carolina cop Michael Slager, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
TELL US: Fair or foul?
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