Baton Rouge, Louisiana
July 05, 2016
Agencies:
Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Office Alabama
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Federal Bureau of Investigation - FBI
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East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office louisiana
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United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division
Cause of death: Shooting
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Last updated: almost 3 years ago
People tracking this case: 3
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Overview 
Investigators are still working to piece together what prompted the fatal officer-involved shooting that resulted in the death of Alton Sterling, 37. The coroner's office released the cause of death, but no other details have been released at this time.
The Baton Rouge Police Department confirms that Sterling died during a shooting at the Triple S Food Mart, which is located at the corner of Fairfields Avenue and North Foster Drive. The shooting happened at roughly 12:30 a.m. after police say they were contacted about a man who was carrying a gun and selling CDs outside the store.
Police said the uniformed officers responded to the disturbance call from someone who claimed the man was threatening him with a gun. Officials said an altercation happened between the officers and Sterling, who was shot during it.
BRPD officials said that two uniformed officers were placed on administrative leave following the incident. They added that any other information about the officers would be released on Wednesday.
"We have video from the store, we're going to get with the store owners, get their video," Cpl. McKneely said. "We have dash cam, I believe the officer had a body camera. I'm not 100 percent sure."
State Rep. Denise Marcelle said she was told by Baton Rouge Police Chief Dabadie that body cameras worn by both officers fell off during the incident and do not show the shooting. Marcelle said the chief told her there is footage of the shooting from the dashboard camera of one of the patrol cars as well as from at least one store surveillance camera.
Chilling cell phone video surfaced Tuesday of two Louisiana cops killing a 37-year-old man selling music outside a Baton Rouge convenience store after an anonymous caller claimed he had a gun.
The police gunfire sparked impassioned protests that continued past midnight outside the store — 24 hours after authorities shot Alton Sterling during a fatal 12:35 a.m. encounter. More than 100 demonstrators shouting “no justice, no peace” clogged the street, setting off fireworks and blocking an intersection to protest Sterling's death.
A second cell phone video (embedded below) of the killing outside Triple S. Food Mart shows two police officers tackling and wrestling a heavy-set man in a red shirt against the hood of a car before throwing him to the pavement.
The police have not said whether Mr. Sterling had a gun, but witnesses have said they saw a handgun on the ground next to him. Mr. Jordan, the lawyer, said Mr. Sterling’s relatives were not aware of him owning a gun.
Arthur Reed, the founder of Stop The Killing, the group that released the cellphone footage, said he only saw a gun after Mr. Sterling had been fatally shot. The group, a youth mentoring program, had heard reports on a police scanner about an arrest at the store, and showed up to gather video for potential use in a documentary about urban violence.
Mr. Reed said the group decided to release its video after he heard that the police had accused Mr. Sterling of reaching for a gun.
“He never reached in the video,” Mr. Reed said. “He never did anything.”
William Clark, the coroner of East Baton Rouge Parish, said that Mr. Sterling had died at the scene from multiple gunshot wounds to the chest and back. Lieutenant Dunnam declined to say whether both officers fired their guns, or if either of them used an electric stun device on Mr. Sterling.
Mr. Sterling’s name began trending on Twitter Tuesday night, as people expressed disgust and anguish at his death. Images from social media showed large numbers of protesters marching in Baton Rouge. In a Twitter post early Wednesday, the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson called the shooting a “legal lynching.”
Legal Action 
On July 6, 2016, Louisana Gov. John Bel Edwards announced that the Department of Justice would lead the probe into the late-night killing of Alton Sterling.
July 2016 The man who posted the Alton Sterling being murdered video was arrested by police
July 2016 The owner of the convenience store where Alton Sterling was killed last week by cops alleges in a lawsuit that police stole surveillance video from his shop, confiscated his cell phone, and locked him inside a car for the next four hours.
July 2016 Baton Rouge District Attorney recuses himself from the investigation into the shooting of Alton Sterling because he knows the parents of one of the officers who opened fire
July 2016 A group of local organizations are suing the Baton Rouge police over their treatment of demonstrators protesting the shooting death of a 37-year-old black man.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana announced the lawsuit Wednesday.
The groups allege that authorities used excessive force, carried out mass arrests and verbally and physically abused protesters.
August 2016 US Attorney seals the Autopsy Report with a Federal Court Order
May 2017 Murderers will not be charged
On March 30, 2018, police released additional bodycam video and the shooting officer was terminated effective immediately.
After a Sept. 18 court hearing related to the civil lawsuit against the City of Baton Rouge and the BRPD, the attorneys released a BRPD email that described former BRPD Officer Blane Salamoni as “borderline nuts” a year before Sterling’s death.
CNN reports on August 6, 2019 that a Louisiana judge has ordered the city of Baton Rouge to turn over the psychological evaluation used in the hiring of former police officer Blane Salamoni, who was involved in the 2016 fatal shooting of Alton Sterling.
On September 9, 2020, the East Baton Rouge Metro Council disapproved the $5 million settlement agreed to by the East Baton Rouge Parish attorney and lawyers for Sterling’s family on Oct. 3, 2019.
On September 23, 2020, Howie Lake II, a white Louisiana police officer who assisted in the arrest was dismissed from a wrongful death lawsuit. Lake used a stun gun on Sterling and helped wrestle him to the ground during the 2016 encounter in Baton Rouge. Lake did not fire his gun.
Community and Family Efforts 
Alton Sterling’s family will hold his funeral at the Southern University F.G. Clark Activity Center. A viewing is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., with the service to follow at 11 a.m.
July 2017 New Black Panther Party Protest on Anniversary of Alton Sterling Shooting Leads to Confrontation With Police
March 2018 DA decides not to charge police
Additional Resources:
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https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/officer-dismissed-alton-sterling-wrongful-death-suit-73185275
added September 24, 2020 22:05
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https://www.arklatexhomepage.com/news/louisiana-news/alton-sterling-case-baton-rouge-nixes-5m-settlement-offer/
added September 13, 2020 13:26
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https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/06/us/alton-sterling-officer-psychological-report-judge/index.html
added August 08, 2019 08:59
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http://www.louisianaweekly.com/brpd-email-says-cop-who-killed-alton-sterling-was-borderline-nuts/
added September 27, 2018 11:15
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https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/alton_sterling/article_a3c62d34-bb4d-11e8-bad9-33da67579bdf.amp.html
added September 18, 2018 15:56
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https://www.nytimes.com/video/us/100000005827142/police-release-new-body-camera-footage-of-alton-sterling-shooting.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=first-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news
added March 31, 2018 21:03
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https://www.facebook.com/uaptsd/posts/1754232707932499
added March 27, 2018 18:31
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http://www.theroot.com/new-black-panther-party-protest-on-anniversary-of-alton-1796661279?utm_source=theroot_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow
added July 06, 2017 01:57
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http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/alton_sterling/article_605f48c2-5c54-11e7-9b1e-132b820e2cac.html
added July 04, 2017 06:01
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http://www.nola.com/news/baton-rouge/index.ssf/2017/05/who_was_alton_sterling.html
added May 03, 2017 12:33
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http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/alton_sterling/article_a73d58b0-d239-11e6-aadf-230cf3345c47.html
added May 03, 2017 12:31
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http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/alton_sterling/article_6a06eda8-6010-11e6-ac04-0b9c903fab8c.html
added September 19, 2016 15:27
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http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/alton_sterling/article_3cc91318-7c79-11e6-b5e6-837cf66b42c7.html
added September 19, 2016 12:45
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http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/inside-hip-hops-new-activist-era-w431275
added August 25, 2016 01:58
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http://www.wafb.com/story/32597240/feds-seal-alton-sterling-autopsy-results
added August 03, 2016 09:08
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http://www.ebrda.org/
added July 16, 2016 15:16
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https://www.facebook.com/MicMedia/videos/1177346632288125/
added July 15, 2016 03:58
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https://twitter.com/KellyAnneKFOX14/status/753577307520892929
added July 14, 2016 14:16
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http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/alton_sterling/article_9b579fd8-4927-11e6-aa10-afedb1a1e639.html
added July 14, 2016 14:12
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https://twitter.com/BrynStole/status/753579066230394880?lang=en
added July 14, 2016 14:12
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http://time.com/4405343/baton-rouge-police-shooting-aclu-lawsuit-alton-sterling/?xid=time_socialflow_twitter
added July 14, 2016 04:33
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https://chicagobond.org/blm/index.html
added July 12, 2016 16:09
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http://www.fox32chicago.com/news/crime/172968704-story
added July 12, 2016 15:23
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http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/07/12/black-lives-matter-is-our-civil-rights-movement.html?via=mobile&source=twitter
added July 12, 2016 14:54
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http://www.justinccohen.com/blog/2016/7/11/interview-johnetta-netta-elzie-sharhonda-bossier-discuss-the-protests-in-baton-rouge
added July 12, 2016 12:22
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https://www.instagram.com/p/BHwZYgDDF7Zay5nc5Yd4RoyadaYWhpO2npZYbQ0/
added July 12, 2016 09:26
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http://www.brproud.com/news/local-news/alton-sterlings-funeral-scheduled-for-friday
added July 12, 2016 09:20
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https://www.crowdrise.com/fundraiser/campaign-updates/978068#!/status/4
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https://twitter.com/wepioneer/status/752761096038064128
added July 12, 2016 07:20
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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3685218/Baton-Rouge-DA-Hillar-Moore-recuses-Alton-Sterling-shooting-investigation.html
added July 12, 2016 07:03
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http://www.wbrz.com/news/where-is-mayor-kip-holden-
added July 12, 2016 06:19
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http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/07/11/alton-sterling-witness-cops-took-my-phone-my-surveillance-video-locked-me-up.html?via=ios
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http://nmpoliticalreport.com/70157/nm-state-police-alleged-racist-policing-in-baton-rouge/
added July 11, 2016 15:18
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www.wbrz.com/news/ebrso-releases-names-of-50-arrested-in-sunday-protests
added July 11, 2016 15:06
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https://twitter.com/KnowLouisiana/status/752507746390384641
added July 11, 2016 14:34
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https://theintercept.com/2015/08/14/after-ferguson-baltimore/
added July 11, 2016 14:28
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https://twitter.com/babahererra/status/752503446557851648
added July 11, 2016 14:19
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http://www.batonrougecrime.com/2016/07/baton-rouge-crime-news/statistics-on-protesters-arrested-over-the-weekend-in-baton-rouge/
added July 11, 2016 14:07
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http://www.lpb.org/index.php?/site/programs/signpost_to_freedom_the_1953_baton_rouge_bus_boycott
added July 11, 2016 13:55
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https://weresist.org/2016/07/11/anonymous-declares-day-of-solidarity-with-black-lives-matter-to/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
added July 11, 2016 13:35
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http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/05/louisiana_sheriffs_association_1.html
added July 11, 2016 12:50
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http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2016/07/baton_rouge_police_brutality.html#incart_most_shared-opinions
added July 11, 2016 12:24
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https://twitter.com/culturejedi/status/752458536961994752
added July 11, 2016 11:13
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http://www.amnestyusa.org/news/press-releases/amnesty-international-usa-statement-in-response-to-shooting-of-alton-sterling-by-baton-rouge-police
added July 11, 2016 09:21
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https://twitter.com/LavonWoods/status/752427390723239936
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https://twitter.com/BLMLA/status/752374564122943488
added July 11, 2016 07:58
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https://twitter.com/SterlingEricson/status/752382278265778176
added July 11, 2016 06:19
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https://www.instagram.com/p/BHtdQQzB0qa/
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https://twitter.com/dncphilly/status/752368225241956352
added July 11, 2016 05:31
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http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/legalized_murder_and_the_politics_of_terror_20160710
added July 11, 2016 05:23
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/as-arrests-mount-in-baton-rouge-protesters-question-police-tactics/2016/07/10/8d695124-46f1-11e6-bdb9-701687974517_story.html?postshare=811468214093996&tid=ss_tw
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https://twitter.com/maramcewin/status/752364773501796353
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https://twitter.com/daviottenheimer/status/752358557488525312
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https://twitter.com/Pennyvane10/status/752341486990163968
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https://twitter.com/lordsservent38/status/752294541806301184
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https://www.crowdrise.com/baton-rouge-bail-fund
added July 10, 2016 13:48
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https://www.periscope.tv/w/1DXxyZjvrWVKM
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https://twitter.com/emaratiluntic/status/752076215419277312
added July 10, 2016 10:02
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http://www.ktnv.com/news/3-arrested-at-black-lives-matter-protest-in-las-vegas
added July 10, 2016 09:51
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https://twitter.com/TfLTrafficNews/status/752069878253809664
added July 10, 2016 09:22
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http://www.bestofneworleans.com/blogofneworleans/archives/2016/07/08/this-is-what-democracy-looks-like-new-orleans-rallies-for-justice-black-lives-matter-at-lee-circle
added July 10, 2016 09:19
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http://kfoxtv.com/news/local/el-paso-leaders-address-police-chief-greg-allens-controversial-black-lives-matter-comment
added July 10, 2016 09:13
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added July 10, 2016 08:41
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https://www.rt.com/usa/350286-protesters-standoff-atlanta-highway/
added July 09, 2016 14:50
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https://mic.com/articles/147878/23-everyday-actions-punishable-by-death-if-you-re-black-in-america?utm_source=policymicTWTR&utm_medium=main&utm_campaign=social#.ud3szgFjU
added July 07, 2016 13:32
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https://mic.com/articles/121572/15-things-your-city-can-do-right-now-to-end-police-brutality#.g9C8VTCA6
added July 07, 2016 12:28
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http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/07/alton-sterling-anger-police-kill-black-man-160706070437375.html
added July 07, 2016 12:24
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https://www.facebook.com/policethepoliceACP/photos/a.540196092664058.146582.540176322666035/1404209039596088/?type=3
added July 07, 2016 03:23
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http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/justice-for-alton-sterling?source=s.tw&r_by=10164408
added July 07, 2016 03:15
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http://6abc.com/news/dozen-taken-into-custody-after-protest-blocks-i-676/1416333/
added July 07, 2016 03:03
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http://www.inflexwetrust.com/2016/07/06/family-of-altonsterling-speak-on-his-murder-by-police/
added July 07, 2016 02:53
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https://www.gofundme.com/2d3eze7g
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https://twitter.com/_LizHenry/status/750866463741751296
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https://twitter.com/ESQUIZZY/status/750863009615060992
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http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/dad-in-law-slams-black-protesters-alton-sterling-death-article-1.2701175?cid=bitly
added July 07, 2016 01:21
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http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/06/us/alton-sterling-baton-rouge-shooting.html?_r=0
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http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/la-naacp-president-fire-police-chief-alton-sterling-death-article-1.2700973
added July 06, 2016 18:44
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https://blackmattersus.com/10601-killing-of-alton-sterling-black-arise-and-seek-justice/
added July 06, 2016 16:12
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http://www.theneworleansadvocate.com/news/16311988-55/video-showing-fatal-confrontation-circulates-at-protest-over-shooting-by-baton-rouge-officer
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http://theadvocate.com/news/16311988-77/report-one-baton-rouge-police-officer-involved-in-fatal-shooting-of-suspect-on-north-foster-drive
added July 06, 2016 07:26
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http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/la-cops-shoot-kill-man-selling-music-baton-rouge-store-article-1.2700548
added July 06, 2016 07:06
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https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1068486753216850&id=956901834375343
added July 06, 2016 06:56
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http://www.wave3.com/story/32371223/officer-involved-shooting-leaves-man-dead
added July 06, 2016 06:56
He had a gun on him. He was selling CDs because he was a registered sexual predator and couldn’t get a real job. He had the police called on him for intimidating someone with a gun.