Ceiling By Blane Salamoni

On July 5, 2016, Alton Sterling was fatally shot by Blane Salamoni, a Baton Rouge police officer, in a convenience store parking lot. Salamoni was responding to a call about a man brandishing a gun and thought that Sterling fit the description of the suspect. However, when Salamoni arrived at the scene, he immediately became violent in his use of force on Sterling. Body camera footage shows Salamoni “slamming him into a car; twice ordering the second officer, Howie Lake II, to use his Taser; and threatening to shoot Mr. Sterling with a gun pointed at his head” (Fausset, 2018). Also shown in the video is Sterling doing his best to follow Salamoni’s orders although he was being pushed around by officers for the duration of the encounter. Not

Sterling was finally shot a total of six times by Salamoni, ending the encounter. From Salamoni’s first words to Sterling to the firing of the last shot, only 90 seconds had passed. The incident gained the attention of the country as it is one of many fatal encounters between black men and the police and incited protests in Baton Rouge and beyond. Following the shooting, both state and federal investigators declined to press charges against Salamoni for his role in Sterling’s death. It seemed like Salamoni would walk away from the incident relatively unpunished until the Baton Rouge Police Department launched an investigation of their own. Using an internal review board, specially appointed investigators reviewed details from the case in order to make a decision on how to handle Salamoni. These investigators who are also part of the police force, review all parts of the

While it doesn’t bring back Sterling, lawyers for Sterling’s family said they were “pleased to see Mr. Salamoni leave the force” (Fausset, 2018). The family had been growing frustrated with the case after seeing state and federal officials decline to press criminal charges on Lake and Salamoni. Following the decision to not press charges, “Members of Sterling's family were visibly upset. Sterling's aunt Veda Washington wiped tears as she left his office” (Hanna, 2018). Despite the fact that they family want to see Salamoni brought up on charges for his actions, they’re glad to see him leave the force, bringing a little bit of closure to the incident. Members of the community felt the same way. Baton Rouge mayor, Sharon Weston Broome said before the hearing that she wants to see Salamoni fired and Lake disciplined for Sterling’s death (Fausset, 2018). She and the much of the community were more than happy to see Salamoni removed from the