A fatal shooting of a black man by a Baton Rouge, La., police officer last Tuesday, July 5th , has already ignited national outrage. Videos have quickly surfaced of Alton Sterling pinned on the ground by two police officers who can be heard screaming “get on the ground!” repeatedly. The video then turns violent, showing one of the police officers firing off a round of bullets aimed directly at Mr. Sterling. What is one of the more disturbing aspects of this video is the fact that the officers already had Mr. Sterling detained on the ground when they shot him at a point blank range. Many have declared this as an act of cold-blooded murder, while a smaller number of the population stands behind the officers’ actions. This incident has prompted Black Lives Matter protests across the country, with people of all races demanding police force reform after a myriad of similar shooting over the past few years. The two officers have been identified as Blane Salamoni and Howie Lake II, who have reportedly been investigated, and cleared, five times between the two of them in their collective seven years working for the Baton Rouge Police department. This raises many questions about police protocol and the accuracy of the investigative process when incidents occur. Both officers are currently on administrative leave.
References:
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/06/us/alton-sterling-baton-rouge-shooting.html
