"Louisiana's attorney general ruled out criminal charges Tuesday against two white Baton Rouge police officers in the fatal shooting of a black man during a struggle outside a convenience store nearly two years after his death caused widespread protests.
Attorney General Jeff Landry's decision came nearly 11 months after the Justice Department ruled out federal criminal charges in Alton Sterling's July 2016 death.
Officer Blane Salamoni shot and killed Sterling during a struggle outside a convenience store where the 37-year-old black man was selling homemade CDs. Officer Howie Lake II helped wrestle Sterling to the ground, but Lake didn't fire his gun. Two cellphone videos of the shooting quickly spread on social media, leading to large protests.
Landry made the announcement of no charges against the officers at a news conference after meeting with family members of Sterling.
Hi's aunt, was in tears after meeting with Landry.
"They said they didn't find anything," she said. "They said it was justifiable, what happened to Alton was justifiable."
Quinyetta McMillon, the mother of one of Sterling's children, Cameron, said the officers killed Sterling "in cold blood."
"They took a human away. They took a father away," she said.
Landry said his office reviewed all of the evidence compiled by the Justice Department, including opinions issued by independent experts, and also conducted its own interviews of eyewitnesses.
"I know the Sterling family is hurting," Landry told reporters. "I know that they may not agree with the decision."
Citing a toxicology report, Landry also said Sterling had illegal drugs in his system at the time of the confrontation. It was "reasonable" to conclude Sterling was under the influence of drugs during the struggle with the officers "and that contributed to his non-compliance," Landry said." [Source]
So "non-compliance" is enough to get you the death penalty these days?
Meanwhile, the black police officer in Minneapolis who killed a white woman will be criminally charged.
"A Minneapolis police officer who shot and killed an Australian woman in July turned himself in Tuesday after a warrant was issued for his arrest, his attorney said. A jail roster said he was held on third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter charges.
Officer Mohamed Noor shot Justine Ruszczyk Damond, a 40-year-old life coach on July 15 minutes after she called 911 to report a possible sexual assault in the alley behind her home. Damond's death drew international attention, cost the police chief her job and forced major revisions to the department's policy on body cameras.
At a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman told reporters that he filed charges because Noor abused his authority to use deadly force. " [Source]
See how that works, folks? He "abused" his authority.
*Pic from huffingtonpost.com
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