Alton Sterling Shooting: Videos, Settlement, and Aftermath

The Alton Sterling shooting happened on July 5, 2016, when Baton Rouge police officer Blane Salamoni shot and killed the 37-year-old father of five in the parking lot of the Triple S Food Mart, where Sterling regularly sold homemade CDs. Neither Salamoni nor his partner Howie Lake II was criminally charged. Salamoni was later fired, Lake was suspended for three days, and the city paid Sterling’s family a $4.5 million settlement in 2021.

What Happened Outside the Triple S Food Mart

Sterling was selling CDs when a homeless man approached him and repeatedly asked for money. According to a senior law enforcement official, Sterling showed the man his gun and told him to leave him alone. The man called 911 and reported that someone was “brandishing a gun.”¹

Officers Salamoni and Lake responded. Salamoni had been with the Baton Rouge Police Department for four years, Lake for three.² They ordered Sterling to put his hands on the hood of a car. When he questioned the order, Salamoni pointed a gun at the back of his head and threatened to shoot him, using profanity. Sterling complained the officers were hurting him. One officer called for a Taser. After it was deployed, Salamoni tackled Sterling to the ground. During the struggle someone yelled “he’s got a gun,” and Salamoni fired six shots into Sterling at close range.³

Federal prosecutors later determined that the first three shots struck Sterling in the chest while he was on the ground. When he attempted to rise, Salamoni fired three more shots into his back, which prosecutors believed caused his death.⁴ The official cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds to the chest and back.⁵ Officers recovered a loaded revolver from Sterling’s pocket after the shooting. As a convicted felon, Sterling was legally prohibited from carrying a firearm.³

What the Videos Showed

The encounter was captured on an unusual number of recordings. Two bystander cell phone videos circulated on social media within hours. One, filmed from a nearby car, captured officers yelling, the Taser, and the gunshots. Another showed Sterling on his back with officers over him and Lake removing a pistol from Sterling’s pocket. Neither showed the shots themselves clearly, since a car and Lake’s body blocked the view.⁶

Body camera and store surveillance footage stayed out of public view for nearly two years. Baton Rouge Police Chief Murphy Paul released it on March 30, 2018.³ The body camera recorded Salamoni’s threats, the struggle, and the aftermath, including Salamoni calling Sterling “stupid” as he lay on the ground and Lake telling Salamoni he had placed Sterling’s gun in the patrol car. The store camera, running for about 41 minutes, showed Sterling selling DVDs, the initial confrontation, both officers pointing weapons, and Salamoni firing into Sterling’s chest.⁶

Why Neither Officer Was Charged

On May 3, 2017, the U.S. Department of Justice announced it would not bring federal civil rights charges. After a ten-month investigation that reviewed six videotapes, federal prosecutors concluded there was insufficient evidence to prove the officers “unreasonably used force.” They found Salamoni appeared “concerned about his safety” and said they could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that his use of force was objectively unreasonable under the applicable legal standard.⁴⁷

On March 27, 2018, Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry announced the state would also decline to charge either officer. Landry said his office reviewed the DOJ’s evidence, conducted independent interviews, and concluded the officers’ actions were “justifiable.” He cited a toxicology report indicating Sterling had illegal drugs in his system and said it was “reasonable” to conclude this “contributed to his non-compliance” during the struggle.⁸ The NAACP Legal Defense Fund criticized the decision, saying Landry’s report characterized Sterling as “dangerous, threatening, or violent.”⁹

What Happened to the Officers

Three days after Landry’s announcement, on March 30, 2018, Chief Paul fired Salamoni. The department found he “did not follow the tactics, training, professionalism and organizational standards” of the BRPD and violated policies on use of force and “command of temper.” Lake received a three-day suspension. The department concluded his actions involved de-escalation techniques consistent with policy and training, and noted he did not fire his weapon.¹⁰

Salamoni appealed to a local civil service board. During the appeal it emerged that he had failed to disclose a July 2009 arrest for simple battery on his employment application. Chief Paul said the dishonesty made Salamoni an “unsuitable candidate” who should have “never, ever worn this uniform.”¹¹ In August 2019 a settlement rescinded the termination and replaced it with a formal resignation. Salamoni received no back pay or financial compensation and dropped his claims against the department.¹²

The Family’s Lawsuit and $4.5 Million Settlement

Sterling’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit in June 2017 against the city of Baton Rouge, the police department, the police chief, and both officers.¹³ In September 2020 a state district judge dismissed Lake from the case at his attorney’s request, since he had not fired his weapon.¹⁴

In November 2020, the East Baton Rouge Metro Council rejected a proposed $5 million settlement by one vote. On February 10, 2021, the council voted 7-4 to approve a $4.5 million settlement, which included an upfront $1 million payment from the city’s insurance reserve funds.¹⁵ The family requested dismissal of the lawsuit in May 2021.¹⁶

As part of the agreement, the Baton Rouge Police Department committed to policy changes on de-escalation, mandatory verbal warnings before deadly force, and prohibitions on chokeholds and firing into moving vehicles.¹⁶ Current BRPD policy now requires verbal warnings before deadly force except in exigent circumstances, requires officers to attempt de-escalation before using force, and requires officers to intervene when they see another officer using excessive force. Chokeholds are prohibited except in emergency situations where deadly force is immediately necessary and authorized weapons are unavailable.¹⁷

Protests, Mass Arrests, and Later Settlements

The shooting set off days of protests in Baton Rouge, ranging from peaceful marches and vigils to tense standoffs with officers in riot gear. About 200 protesters were arrested between July 8 and 10, 2016. Many were charged with “simple obstruction of a highway.” Plaintiffs later showed that affidavits of probable cause were pre-printed forms, with one form identical to 87 others signed the same day. Protesters said they were manhandled, pushed to the ground, tased, and denied medical treatment while jailed.¹⁸

An early case, North Baton Rouge Matters v. City of Baton Rouge, was resolved in November 2016 through a Memorandum of Understanding in which law enforcement committed to objectively reasonable force, clear dispersal commands with reasonable exit routes, and de-escalation at future protests.¹⁹²⁰²¹²²

The July 17 Ambush of Baton Rouge Officers

Twelve days after Sterling’s death, on July 17, 2016, Gavin Eugene Long ambushed Baton Rouge police on Airline Highway, which had been a site of anti-police protests after the shooting. Long killed officers Brad Garafola, Mathew Gerald, and Montrell Jackson and wounded three others before police killed him. He was 29 and the attack took place on his birthday. Investigators found no evidence he acted on behalf of any organized group, though he had expressed interest in black separatism and antigovernment movements and was reportedly inspired by the July 7 ambush in Dallas that killed five officers.²³

Sterling’s Case in a Wider Moment

The day after Sterling was killed, on July 6, 2016, Philando Castile was shot and killed by a police officer during a traffic stop outside St. Paul, Minnesota. The two deaths within 48 hours drove a wave of national protest and intensified the Black Lives Matter movement.²⁴

Speaking from Warsaw on July 7, 2016, President Barack Obama called the shootings “not isolated incidents” but “symptomatic of a broader set of racial disparities” in the criminal justice system. He cited data showing African Americans were shot by police at more than twice the rate of whites and were 30 percent more likely to be pulled over. “When people say, ‘Black Lives Matter,'” he said, “that doesn’t mean blue lives don’t matter.”²⁵ Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards announced that the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division would lead the investigation into Sterling’s death.²⁶ The Washington Post reported that Sterling was one of 122 Black Americans shot and killed by police by that point in 2016.²⁴ His case is now often cited alongside those of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor as one of the killings that shaped the modern movement against police violence.¹⁵

1
WDSU. Alton Sterling Shooting: Homeless Man Made 911 Call
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CBS News. Alton Sterling Shooting: Baton Rouge Police Officers Identified
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PBS NewsHour. New Videos Show Clearest Account of Alton Sterling’s Killing
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NPR. Justice Department Declines to Prosecute Police Officers in Killing of Alton Sterling
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NBC News. Judge Has Sealed Alton Sterling’s Autopsy Report, Coroner Says
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CNN. Alton Sterling Video Descriptions
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Washington Post. Five Key Takeaways From the Justice Dept. Investigation Into Alton Sterling’s Death
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Houston Public Media. No Charges in Fatal Shooting of Alton Sterling by Louisiana Police
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NAACP Legal Defense Fund. LDF Statement on Louisiana AG’s Decision Not to Charge Baton Rouge Police Officers
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WDSU. BR Officers in Deadly Alton Sterling Shooting Face Disciplinary Review
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The Advocate. Blane Salamoni’s Hidden Arrest: Why BRPD Chief Says He Should Have Never Worn This Uniform
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WAFB. BRPD Hold Press Conference on Blane Salamoni Civil Service Appeal
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The Guardian. Alton Sterling Shooting
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WAFB. Officer Dismissed From Alton Sterling Wrongful Death Lawsuit
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ABC News. Baton Rouge City Council Passes $4.5 Million Settlement
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WBRZ. Family of Alton Sterling Quietly Accepted $4.5M Settlement Last Month
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City of Baton Rouge. Use of Force
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MacArthur Justice Center. Alton Sterling Protesters
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ACLU of Louisiana. North Baton Rouge Matters v. City of Baton Rouge
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NOLA.com. Charges Ruled Out Against Protesters, Journalists Arrested After Alton Sterling Was Killed
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MacArthur Justice Center. Baton Rouge Protesters File Lawsuit Alleging Law Enforcement Conspired to Suppress Peaceful Protests
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WBRZ. Metro Council Authorizes $625,000 Settlement to Demonstrators Arrested After Alton Sterling’s Death
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EBSCO Research. Shooting of Police Officers in Baton Rouge
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NPR. Two Days, Two Deaths: The Police Shootings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile
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The American Presidency Project. Remarks on the Deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile in Warsaw, Poland
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ABC News. Black Lives Matter Holds Vigil for Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge