No charges for police officers in death of Louisiana man
announcement of no charges at a news conference after meeting with family members of Sterling. They angrily denounced the decision.
Quinyetta McMillon, the mother of one of Sterling’s children, Cameron, said the officers killed Sterling “in cold blood.”
“They took a human away. They took a father away. They took somebody away that did not deserve to be away,” she said.
While Sterling’s family members said they were angry at the news, they were not surprised.
“They’re not going to bring charges on anybody. Why would they do that? This is white America,” Veda Washington-Abusaleh, Sterling’s aunt, told reporters after the meeting.
Mr. Landry said his office reviewed all of the evidence compiled by the Justice Department and also conducted its own interviews of witnesses.
“I know the Sterling family is hurting,” Mr. Landry told reporters. “I know that they may not agree with the decision.”
Toxicology and urine test results released Tuesday showed Sterling had cocaine, methamphetamine, fentanyl and other drugs in his system at the time. Mr. Landry said it was “reasonable” to conclude Sterling was under the influence of drugs during the struggle “and that contributed to his non-compliance” with the officers’ commands.
Mr. Landry didn’t take any questions from reporters.
Mr. Landry’s office also said — in a report describing the efforts by the officers to gain control of Sterling, as well as their belief that he was armed — that it had “concluded that the officers in question acted as reasonable officers under existing law and were justified in their use of force.”
A lawyer for two of Sterling’s five children slammed the report as biased. L. Chris Stewart said investigators did not follow up with witnesses and relied heavily on two outside experts who reviewed evidence collected by federal investigators. He also criticized the decision to put Sterling’s criminal history into the report, saying that had nothing todo with the case.
The officers’ body cameras and a store surveillance camera also recorded the encounter. Those videos haven’t been released, but Baton Rouge police Chief Murphy Paul said he intends to release both after he concludes the disciplinary process for the two officers, who have remained on paid administrative leave since the July 5, 2016, shooting. He hopes to complete the process Friday.
A lawyer for Officer Lake said his client should remain on the police force. Attorney Kyle Kershaw said Officer Lake’s actions during the encounter complied with police procedure.
Officer Salamoni’s attorney, John McLindon, called it “grossly unfair” that a disciplinary hearing is planned less than a week after the end of the criminal investigation.
Mr. McLindon said he expects his client will be fired.
State and federal authorities said Officer Salamoni yelled that Sterling was reaching for a gun in his pocket before shooting him three times, and then fired three more shots into Sterling’s back when he began to sit up and move. The 34-page report by Mr. Landry’s office said it’s “important to note” that Sterling’s hands were concealed from the officers as he sat up and rolled away from Officer Salamoni.
The officers recovered a loaded revolver from Sterling’s pocket. As a convicted felon, Sterling could not legally carry a gun.
Video footage shows Sterling threatening someone with a firearm before the officers respond to a report of a man with a gun outside the Triple S Food Mart, according to Mr. Landry’s report.
Theofficers told Sterling to put his hands on the hood of a car and struggled with him when he didn’t comply, Mr. Landry’s office said. Sterling continued to resist after Officer Salamoni drew his weapon and threatened to shoot him in the head if he didn’t stop moving, according to Mr. Landry’s report. Officer Lake shocked Sterling with a stun gun twice before the officers wrestled him down, investigators said.
Federal authorities concluded there wasn’t enough evidence to prove Officer Salamoni or Officer Lake willfully deprived Sterling of his civil rights, or that the officers’ use of force was objectively unreasonable.
The shooting came amid increased scrutiny of fatal encounters between police and black men. The next day Philando Castile was shot and killed in Minnesota by police officer and the aftermath was streamed on Facebook by his girlfriend. The same week, five police officers were killed in Dallas during a protest against police shootings.
Racial tensions were still simmering in Louisiana’s capital when a 29-year-old black military veteran shot and killed three Baton Rouge law enforcement officers on July 17, 2016. Los Angeles Times, The New York Times and The Washington Post contributed.