The shooting death of Baton Rouge man Alton Sterling did not lead to a criminal prosecution of the officers involved, but a sliver of justice has been delivered in the matter. Baton Rouge Police Officer Blane Salamoni was fired on Friday (Mar. 30), and another officer was suspended for three days in the wake of newly released footage.
Local outlet WAFB reports:
Officer Blane Salamoni, one of two officers on the scene of the shooting, was terminated after a review by internal affairs.
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Salamoni encountered Sterling outside a Baton Rouge convenience store in July 2016 after responding to a report that a man there had just threatened someone with a gun.
Salamoni was the second officer to arrive on the scene and found Sterling struggling with the first responding officer.
According to sources familiar with the case, Salamoni pointed his gun at Sterling’s head and told him he would “blow his f**king head off” if he did not put his hands on a nearby car.
The other officer, Howie Lake, did not fire any shots.
Both officers, who had been on paid administrative leave since the shooting, were cleared of any federal civil rights charges and any state criminal charges in the case.
A Warning: On the following page, we’ve shared the graphic footage of the incident but we do warn that the video will be disturbing to some.
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