The Department of Justice is not expected to bring civil rights charges against police officers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who shot and killed a black man outside a convenience store last summer, because there is not enough evidence of intentional wrongdoing, people with information on the matter told NBC News Tuesday.
On July 5, 2016, Alton Sterling, 37, was selling CDs outside of the store when he was tackled by police officers. Authorities say the officers were looking for a man who had threatened someone with a gun, and Sterling matched his description. Officers said Sterling had a gun and was allegedly trying to reach for it during the scuffle, which ended in Sterling being shot. The incident was caught on video, and critics argue the footage does not show Sterling reaching for a weapon and Louisiana is an open carry state.
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