Baton Rouge officers will not face charges over 2016 shooting of Alton Sterling

(Image credit: Mark Wallheiser/Getty Images)

published 27 March 2018

Louisiana's attorney general will not charge two Baton Rouge police officers in the 2016 death of Alton Sterling, a 37-year-old black man who was fatally shot while selling CDs outside a convenience store, The Associated Press reports. Last May, the Justice Department likewise decided "insufficient evidence exists to charge either officer with a federal crime in connection with this incident."

The officers had been looking for a suspect who matched Sterling's description, police said, and after they tackled Sterling, he allegedly reached for a gun before officers opened fire. The incident was caught on video, and many who have seen the footage say it did not show Sterling reaching for a weapon. After the shooting, protesters marched for several days, with almost 200 people arrested.

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.

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