Skip to main content

Two More Black Men Shot Dead By Police In The US

Two black men have been shot dead by police, with both incidences happening within 24 hours of each other.

On Tuesday, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, a 37-year old black man, Alton Sterling, was killed in a confrontation involving two police officers, Blance Salamoni and Howie Lake II. Mr. Sterling was shot outside of the Triple S Food Mart after an encounter with the two police officers.

The police received a complaint about a man with a gun selling CDs outside a store. The two police officers pinned Mr. Sterling to the gun and pointed a gun at his chest. A video capturing the incidence shows the police officer being alarmed at discovering Mr. Sterling’s gun.

Six gun shots are then heard, and Mr. Sterling is shown bleeding. He died of the gunshot wounds to his chest and back.

The FBI will be proceeding with an investigation into the shooting on Tuesday.

Yesterday, in Saint Paul, Minnesota, 32-year old Philando Castile, was shot dead by a police officer who pulled him over for a broken taillight and subsequently opened fire on him as he reached for his I.D. Mr. Castile was in the car with his fiancee in the passenger seat and their daughter in the back seat.

His girlfriend, Lavish Reynolds livestreamed the aftermath of the shooting on Facebook as Mr. Castile, drenched in blood, writhed and gradually lost consciousness. He was rushed to a medical center where he died.

These two incidences follow a pattern of police shooting of black men leading to the movement Black Lives Matter and mounting frustration across the US with gun violence more generally. 

Image

Image