The family of Alton Sterling, a man who was shot and killed by police in 2016, is set to receive a $4.5 million settlement after a city council chose to move forward with the proposal.
The East Baton Rouge Metro Council in Louisiana voted 7-4 in favor of the motion, five years after the incident. The local leaders rejected a $5 million settlement in November 2020.
“I am pleased our metro council was able to find a consensus and approve an offer of settlement in the Alton Sterling civil case,” Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome wrote in a statement on Thursday. “After nearly five years, the people of Baton Rouge are finally one step closer to getting much needed closure in this traumatic episode in our history. Now we must continue the work of building a more fair and equitable community, where every citizen is treated justly, no matter their race or ethnicity.”
I am pleased our metro council was able to find a consensus and approve an offer of settlement in the Alton Sterling civil case. After nearly five years, the people of Baton Rouge are finally one step closer to getting much needed closure in this traumatic episode in our history.
— Sharon Weston Broome (@MayorBroome) February 11, 2021
Two officers, Blane Salamoni and Howie Lake II, responded to a call about an individual threatening people with a gun on July 5, 2016. The pair confronted Sterling, a 37-year-old who was selling CDs outside a convenience store at the time, and a struggle ensued.
The policemen tased Sterling, wrestled him to the ground, and shot him six times in the back and chest after Salamoni yelled, “Going for his pocket. He’s got a gun! Gun!” Law enforcement located a loaded .38 caliber revolver in Sterling’s pocket.
The incident sparked nationwide demonstrations for racial equity four years before the summer of social unrest that ensued after George Floyd, a black man, died after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for roughly nine minutes.
Salamoni was fired following the scuffle, but the Department of Justice declined to charge either of the officers with criminal conduct, citing insufficient evidence.
“After an exhaustive, almost yearlong investigation, all of the prosecutors and agents involved in this case have come to the conclusion that insufficient evidence exists to charge either officer with a federal crime in connection with this incident,” Baton Rouge acting U.S. Attorney Corey Amundson said in 2017 at a press conference.
The state of Louisiana also declined to prosecute the officers, with Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry calling the officers’ conduct “well founded and reasonable” in 2018.
