Lawyer: Officer threatened black man before killing him

BATON ROUGE, La. — The white police officer who shot a black man to death outside of a convenience store pointed a gun at the man’s head and threatened to shoot him before they wrestled on the ground, lawyers for the slain man’s family said Wednesday.

The details about the alleged threat were revealed after federal prosecutors announced that they would not file charges against that officer and a second white Baton Rouge officer involved in the deadly encounter with Alton Sterling last summer.

Attorneys for Sterling’s family met with federal prosecutors before their announcement and later described the threat to the media. Chris Stewart, an attorney for two of Sterling’s sons, said the lawyers learned from U.S. Justice Department officials that Officer Blane Salamoni walked up to Sterling before their fatal confrontation and said: “I’m going to shoot you, b----.”

The deadly confrontation was captured on witnesses’ cellphones and shared widely on social media, leading to protests in Baton Rouge. The officers’ body cameras and store surveillance also recorded the encounter, but those videos have not been publicly released.

U.S. Attorney Corey Amundson didn’t mention that alleged threat when he explained that there was not enough evidence to prove that Salamoni and another white officer, Howie Lake II, acted unreasonably and willfully. Amundson didn’t immediately return messages asking him about the alleged threat.

The investigation found that Salamoni shot Sterling three times after saying that Sterling was reaching for a gun in his pocket and fired three more shots into Sterling’s back when he began to sit up and move, the prosecutor said.

The officers recovered a loaded revolver from Sterling’s pocket. Two independent use-of-force experts reviewed the case and criticized the way the officers handled the situation but did not find that they acted excessively, Amundson said.

The Justice Department’s decision may not be the final legal chapter, however, because state authorities will conduct their own investigation. The family called on state Attorney General Jeff Landry to bring charges.

“Jeff Landry, please open up your heart and give us the justice that we deserve,” said Quinyetta McMillon, the mother of Sterling’s oldest son.

Amundson said every agent and prosecutor involved in the probe believed federal charges were not warranted for Salamoni and Lake.

Sterling, 37, was selling homemade CDs outside the Triple S Food Mart when police were called to the store to investigate a report of a man with a gun.

Amundson said the officers’ encounter with Sterling happened in the span of about 90 seconds.

“Life and death decisions were being made in split seconds,” he said.

Salamoni’s lawyer, John McLindon, expressed confidence that Landry’s office will conduct a “thorough” review of the case.