Police chief fires Baton Rouge officer over 2016 shooting

Police officials in Baton Rouge, La., fired one of the officers involved in the 2016 fatal shooting of an African-American man and released long-awaited body camera footage that helps explain the decision. Baton Rouge Police Chief Murphy Paul said he fired Officer Blane Salamoni for violating department policies on use of force and “command of temper.” Both federal and state prosecutors declined to press criminal charges against Salamoni and Officer Howie Lake II for their role in the shooting death of Alton Sterling outside the Triple S Food Mart, where he was selling homemade CDs. In the newly released video footage, Salamoni can be heard swearing at Sterling and eventually tackling him to the ground. During the struggle, someone yells, “He’s got a gun!” Salamoni then shoots Sterling six times. The officers later recovered a loaded revolver from Sterling’s pocket. Salamoni’s attorney, John McLindon, said his client plans to appeal the chief’s decision: “He did what he was trained to do.” But an attorney representing Sterling’s children said the body camera footage illustrates the hostility and disregard African-American’s face from police every day. “You can clearly see there was no value placed on Alton Sterling’s life by Blane Salamoni,” said L. Chris Stewart.