AP: The announcement came a day after the killing of 37-year-old Alton Sterling, who authorities say was confronted by police after an anonymous caller said he had threatened someone with a gun outside the store where he was selling homemade CDs.
In a cellphone video taken by a community activist, two officers had Sterling pinned to the ground, and gunfire erupted moments after someone yelled, "He's got a gun! Gun!" Baton Rouge police have not said whether Sterling in fact had a gun.
"I have very serious concerns. The video is disturbing, to say the least," Gov. John Bel Edwards said in announcing that the Justice Deparment's Civil Rights Division would lead the investigation.
The shooting fueled anger and protests in Baton Rouge, with community leaders and Sterling's family demanding a federal investigation and the firing of the police chief.
"Mr. Sterling was not reaching for a weapon. He looks like a man that was actually fighting for his life," said state Rep. Edmond Jordan, an attorney for Sterling's family.
In a cellphone video taken by a community activist, two officers had Sterling pinned to the ground, and gunfire erupted moments after someone yelled, "He's got a gun! Gun!" Baton Rouge police have not said whether Sterling in fact had a gun.
"I have very serious concerns. The video is disturbing, to say the least," Gov. John Bel Edwards said in announcing that the Justice Deparment's Civil Rights Division would lead the investigation.
The shooting fueled anger and protests in Baton Rouge, with community leaders and Sterling's family demanding a federal investigation and the firing of the police chief.
"Mr. Sterling was not reaching for a weapon. He looks like a man that was actually fighting for his life," said state Rep. Edmond Jordan, an attorney for Sterling's family.
Link to video
16 comments:
"In a cellphone video taken by a community activist"
Translation: Lefty busybody looking for a "hate" crime.
The 4th of the Baltimore cops goes on trial today. Anybody wanna bet this turns out like that?
Or Ferg?
The bit they show of the cell video looks bad. Looks like the decedent was shot while he was pinned down.
This also happened at the Fruitvale station in the bay area with the shooting of Oscar Grant.
Rush has been saying now for a while that Justice dep. wants to take over police departments.
I don't think he's wrong. it's a way to basically federalize and infiltrate the states without an obvious takeover. Federalize local police departments all over the country and you realize the problem you have on your hands.
Soon, none of states will have any rights. There will only be the Federal government. That is until the World Government runs the show.
FWIW the State Capitol is on the southern edge of the north part of Baton Rouge--the "black" part of B.R--and tensions arising from black crime/shootings have existed for years. It is a regrettable but understandable fact that B.R. Police & Sheriff Dept personnel are on a hair trigger status as a result. The Zoo is located in that area and the whites have been trying to move it out of the area for years because of black crime (mainly youth) and low tourist attendance while middle-class and professional blacks fight to keep what little income stream it produces to support other small businesses in the area. The vast majority of maj white new commercial and residential development is south of I-12 (B.R. to Hammond) and the St George Parish Dist has been trying to gain independence from the city for years because of black crime, with the city proper fighting the move as it would remove the cities main tax income stream by creating a totally separate city. Black crime is presently rampant in B.R. In 2013 there was a flash-mob riot involving some 200 black youth at the Mall of Louisiana and tensions have been simmering ever since. The only thing that has prevented large-scale race riots is the popular (with blacks & whites alike) black Mayor Kip Holden who has cultural and political feet in both camps and is capable to boot. Apres Holden? Lets not think about that one..
We had a field trip to that Louisiana State capitol. They were proud of it. Very proud. Proud of it being a skyscraper.
And we're all the eh.
But that's the thing, it's a skyscraper in Louisiana but nowhere else. It's sticks up because everything else is kept low. And kept low for very good reason I'm assuming all this now, it just seems right to keep things low around swamps.
*wistfully* French and Spanish names sound so romantical.
Baton Rouge for red stick
Boca Raton for rat's mouth, those sorts of things.
Maybe he mistook his real gun for his stun gun?
That happened elsewhere recently. and the volunteer/policemen was sentenced to prison time.
virgil, Thanks for the local info. The one thing that is helpful regarding a Fed takeover of local police is local police will not abide. I mean a few might, but local police dept. are more territorial than wolves.
So... someone called in a tip that he had threatened someone with a gun...
And then a "community organizer" was handy to film the confrontation?
Did I miss something?
It isn't, perhaps, relevant to the actions the cop took. Most likely that's as bad as it looks. But I would want to know *exactly* who the anonymous tip came from.
That's a good point.
Excellent point.
AllenS said...
Soon, none of states will have any rights. There will only be the Federal government. That is until the World Government runs the show.
Not to pick a fight, but I remember hearing those same words 40 or 50 years ago.
These days I'd expect that everyone and their toddler would be carrying around a smart phone ready to film tragedies with no prior notice... I just thought the specificity of "community organizer" was less... random.
In cases where the circumstances are ambiguous, my bias is towards the cop. The man involved had apparently flashed a gun at a homeless panhandler. That's the call the cops responded to. The response time to the next such call will be considerably slower...... I wouldn't vote to convict the cops involved in this incident. Perhaps they could have handled it better, but if I'm wrestling around on the ground with an armed man, gentle persuasion would not be the tactic of choice......The cops are put into situations where it's very, very easy to lose your cool, and, when that happens--as it's bound to--they are punished disproportionately. The Baton Rouge cops will probably walk, but that cop in MN will suffer more condemnation than Jeffrey Dahmer.
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